The Kharghar police are on the lookout for a tanker driver who rammed his vehicle into the Kharghar toll naka in the early hours of Saturday, killing one employee and injuring another.
The deceased has been identified as Prakash Babu Joshi (40), a resident of Jui village in Vashi, while the injured person, Gorakh Patil, is a resident of Mankhurd. At 12.15 a.m., Mr. Joshi and Mr. Patil, who were on night duty, motioned to the driver to stop the vehicle heading towards Mumbai. While Mr. Joshi was standing on the divider near gate no. 5, Mr. Patil was positioned near gate no. 4. They were hired by DR services and appointed just four months ago.
Prakash Babu Joshi
Mr. Patil, after being discharged from hospital, said, “We waved at the container in order to stop it, but the driver it into Joshi and crushed him to death. The vehicle also brushed against me, injuring my shoulder. Our seniors and supervisors rushed us to MGM Hospital.”
The police said the driver drove away from the spot and later rammed the vehicle into a divider at Uran phata near Nerul. He then abandoned the tanker and fled. “We think the driver was drunk. The way he was driving, it seemed he was not in his senses,” said Ravindra Patil, another employee at the toll naka.
The police identified the accused as Shiv Prakash Saroj and booked him under Sections 304 (a) (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act. Assistant police inspector Mahendra Wagh said, “We traced the owner of the tanker and secured the details of the driver. We will arrest him soon. We will then verify if he was driving under the influence.”