The Worli police said they have written to the traffic department to determine the speed the car was travelling at. (Express Photo)Two days after Irfan Abdul Raheem Beelkia was arrested for driving the speeding vehicle that killed five people and injured several others on the Bandra-Worli Sea link early on Wednesday, investigators have learnt that 28 e-challans have previously been issued against the 40-year-old’s vehicle.
Beelkia will be produced in court again on Friday afternoon as his one-day police remand ends. His lawyer Vikram Chavan had told the court on Thursday that Beelkia was distracted while driving as he was trying to plug a charger into his mobile phone when the accident occurred.
The police said that the unpaid e-challans amount to Rs 28,800. Beelkia was charged for overspeeding on the Sea Link five days before Wednesday’s accident, officers added.
The Worli police said they have written to the traffic department to determine the speed at which Beelkia was driving when his car rammed into the other vehicles stationed at the sea link. “After scanning the CCTV footage, we believe that his vehicle must have been above the permitted speed limit. However, to confirm that we have asked the traffic authorities for more details,” said an officer.
Meanwhile, the police said they have sent Beelkia’s blood samples for forensic examination to ascertain whether he was driving under the influence of alcohol or other banned substances.