The rented Mahindra Thar that collided with a car in north Goa earlier this week, killing a 65-year-old tourist from Bhopal, was driven by a 19-year-old man – the only man among the five passengers – and not a woman as initially claimed, Goa Police said on Wednesday.
The driver, identified as Shaurya Goyal of Delhi’s Hauz Khas, has been booked under sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety) and 281 (rash driving) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said, adding that he was arrested on Tuesday and later released on bail.
“We have confirmed that the car was driven by a 19-year-old youth. We have footage taken from CCTV cameras along the road that shows him driving the car before the accident,” Anjuna police station inspector Suraj Jawas said. “He was arrested and since it was a bailable offense he was released on bail.”
According to police, the incident occurred at around 5.45 pm on Monday at Happy Bar intersection in Assagao, while the Delhi-based group was heading towards the coastal village of Anjuna in Goa.
The Goa Police said in a statement: “The accused, Shaurya Goyal (19), driver of Mahindra Thar bearing number GA-03-V-5695, while traveling from Mapusa to Anjuna, drove the car in a rash and negligent manner and lost control at the intersection, colliding with a Hyundai i-20 bearing number GA-08-AB-6685. Due to the collision, Bhagat Ram Sharma (65), a resident of Bhopal, was declared dead. Madhya Pradesh, at District Hospital, Mapusa.
The police confirmed that the car driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Kawas said: “We conducted a medical examination of the accused and it was found that he was negative for drinking alcohol.”
Officials said that the two vehicles were seized and while the accused was arrested on Tuesday, he was released on bail.
A local resident who witnessed the accident had earlier claimed that a woman was driving the Thar, who later switched seats with Goyal. “There was a woman driving the Thar. The car was speeding and collided with the white hatchback. I helped the victims from the car. There was an elderly man who sustained serious injuries, especially to the head and skull,” Myron Fernandes told reporters at the scene.
