Marine Drive hit-and-run case: Victim succumbs to injuries

Nearly six days after a 25-year-old dentist was run over in a hit-and-run case on Marine Drive in Mumbai, she succumbed to the injuries on Friday evening. The police have added the charge of causing death due to negligence against Shikha Zaveri, who was allegedly driving the car. Zaveri was arrested by the police and later released on bail.

Zaveri, 36, is a teacher and resident of Napean Sea Road. She was driving a Honda City car towards south Mumbai at around 3.20 pm on March 24 when she hit a girl at the Taraporevala Aquarium signal. Zaveri did not stop her car, but sped away from the spot, the police had said.

The complainant, Yazdi Driver, who is an eyewitness in the case, said he was standing near the zebra crossing and saw the victim, who was talking on the phone, cross the road when there was a red signal. He claimed the Honda City cut the signal and hit the girl.

Driver then asked a few people to take the girl to the nearest hospital and used his motorcycle to allegedly chase Zaveri till the next signal. When he saw traffic cops approaching him, he informed them about the incident and Zaveri was taken to the Marine Drive police station.

The victim was identified as Deepali Lahamte, hailing from Ahmednagar. She had completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the Nair Hospital Dental College and was doing an one-year internship at the same college. Deepali stayed at a hostel on Curry Road. On the day of the accident, she was about to attend her younger brother Abhinay Lahamte’s MBBS convocation at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ hospital group gymkhana at Marine drive.