Navi Mumbai: Traffic cop on night duty mowed down

Atul Ghagare was on a night shift and had been summoned to clear the traffic near Taloja MIDC around 3.30 am. (Representational)

A 30-year-old traffic constable was mowed down by an unknown vehicle near Taloja MIDC on Wednesday morning. The incident took place when the constable was returning to the police chowky in Taloja after clearing a traffic congestion, police said.  According to Taloja police, the deceased has been identified as Atul Ghagare.

“Around 5 am, some auto-rickshaw drivers informed us about the accident. When we reached the spot near Nithalsar Phata, we realised it was a traffic constable,” said an officer from Taloja police.

“Ghagare was on a night shift and had been summoned to clear the traffic near Taloja MIDC around 3.30 am. He had left from there around 4.30 am. After that, he was presumably returning to the chowky on his two-wheeler when the accident took place,” the officer added.
Police have lodged a case against an unknown driver, who allegedly ran Ghagare down.

“The two-wheeler was hit from behind, and after he fell on the ground, the vehicle ran him over. We reached the spot and took him to the hospital, but he was declared brought dead. It seems from his injuries that he died instantly on the spot,” said an officer privy to the case.
“It could have been a heavy vehicle or even an over-speeding car. We have filed an FIR against the unknown driver for rash driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” the officer added.

“We are checking all the CCTV footage of the nearby areas. If there are any eyewitnesses, we urge them to come forward,” said the
officer. Ghagare’s wife, who is also a constable working with the Navi Mumbai Police, was unavailable for comment.

His co-workers claimed that Ghagare had been looking forward for his shift to end as it was his daughter’s fourth birthday on Wednesday. “He wanted to go home and surprise her,” a friend and one of his co-workers said.