Rickshaw driver sleeping on beach killed as SUV runs over him; his friend injured

The incident occurred early Monday morning and the driver of the SUV, Nikhil Jawle, 34, and his passenger, Shubham Dongre, 33, initially fled the scene but were apprehended within three hours at Igatpuri in Nashik district, they said.

Their vehicle, registered in Nagpur, was traced following a tip-off from a resident. Authorities have collected blood samples from both suspects to determine if they were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Auto-rickshaw driver Ganesh Yadav and his friend Bablu Shrivastava were sleeping at the beach as they felt hot in their room located nearby in the Sagar Kutir Rahivasi Sangh slum area, an official from Versova police station said.

Shrivastava, who was partially conscious after the collision, managed to alert the police.

An FIR has been filed against Jawle and Dongre under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Police have emphasized their commitment to investigating these incidents thoroughly, stating, "We are conducting a further probe into the case."

They were presented in court on Tuesday and remanded to five days of police custody for further investigation.

This incident adds to the growing concerns over hit-and-run cases in Maharashtra.

Recent statistics indicate a disturbing trend, with several high-profile cases occurring in quick succession.

In July, a woman in Worli was killed after being dragged for 1.5 kilometers by a BMW.

Three persons, including the son of a Shiv Sena politician, were arrested in connection with the incident.

The same night, a policeman was killed when a car rammed into the motorbike of two cops on patrolling duty in Pune's Khadki area.

In another incident in Pune, a minor driving a Porsche struck and killed two IT professionals on a motorcycle on May 19.

The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the minor with relatively lenient conditions, including writing an essay on road safety and assisting the traffic police prompting intense public criticism, with many questioning the justice system's handling of such cases.

In another hit-and-run incident on July 7, a 23-year-old man was killed after an unidentified vehicle knocked him down in Nagpur city.

On July 9, a 31-year-old woman was killed after a speeding car knocked her down in Nashik city. The car driver, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, fled from the spot. He was later arrested.

On February 25, a woman drove her Mercedes car recklessly allegedly under the influence of alcohol, and crashed into two men traveling on a scooter on Ram Jhula bridge in Nagpur city. Both riders died after the crash.

The woman surrendered before the police on July 1, more than four months after the crash, and was subsequently placed under arrest.