A day after two youths died in a car accident on the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, the Badlapur police on Sunday registered an FIR against the lone survivor, Angad Gill, who was driving a BMW Z-series convertible. Gill suffered a serious head injury and remains in a coma at Fortis Hospital in Kalyan.
The deceased, Yogesh Negi and Rebecca Jacob, were colleagues in a private company. The trio was out one night to celebrate Negi’s 26th birthday, which took a fatal turn in the early hours of Sunday when the car, allegedly traveling at a speed of 251 km per hour, rammed into a barrier on the under-construction Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway near Badlapur.
The impact was so severe that the car was reduced to a pile of metal and the passengers were thrown about 500 feet from the crash site. Severed body parts were later found scattered 50 to 100 feet away. RTO and forensic teams visited the crash site and collected technical and biological samples for further investigation.
Gill has been booked under Sections 105 and 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 112, 183, 184 and 194 (B) of the Motor Vehicles Act related to rash and negligent driving, said Sachin Gaur, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4. He added: “We are trying to obtain footage from the surrounding areas to confirm the speed of the car and also whether its passengers were under the influence of alcohol.”
This stretch has gained notoriety as a place of accidents, and at least three fatal accidents have taken place there, Kishore Shinde, senior police inspector of Badlapur West district, told HT. He added: “Preliminary investigations indicate that Gil survived because he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident and his airbag deployed shortly after the accident.” “However, the other two occupants were ejected from the vehicle and died on the spot.”
As locals have unauthorizedly opened entry points to the highway, vehicles are plying on this stretch of road at very high speeds. Thane Traffic Police Director Pankaj Shirsat told HT that he visited the accident site and the entire stretch and found at least 15 illegal entry points on the unfinished highway. “There are no lights on the entire stretch and there is no proper signage,” he said. “The public should not use it as a shortcut to their destination. I have directed NHAI officials and the contractor to deputize staff at every entry point and seal it to prevent any further incidents.”
When contacted, NHAI Project Director Suhas Chitnis confirmed that the expressway was supposed to be used only by the construction crew and technical staff working on the project, but local residents started using it illegally.
“We have put up signs saying that the highway is not open to the public,” he said. “We barricaded the entry points and deployed our staff to stop them, but the locals forcefully removed the barricades and threatened our staff as they want to use the road as a shortcut and to seek excitement. This same place has witnessed two incidents recently.”
Bhagwan Bhoir, a resident of Irangad village, told HT that the villagers witnessed several accidents and also sustained injuries due to reckless driving by motorists. “After dark, many local youth come to the road and make dangerous movements, risking their lives and the lives of the villagers,” he said. Bhoir demanded that the road be kept closed at all times until it is completely and safely completed.
An official from Shivalaya Construction, which is building the stretch, said several of its employees sustained injuries due to reckless driving on the road. “We put barrels full of water in the place, but local residents removed them,” he said.
