Inputs from Mumbai Mirror
Pics by Rons Bantwal for Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (AF/SS)
 
Mumbai, Apr 26: Two youths died while three were injured in a major road accident at Four Bungalows junction in Andheri (west) in the early hours of Tuesday April 24. The accident involved six vehicles. Two persons have been arrested and remanded to police custody.

Kandivli East resident Gaurav Vino Avlani, 21, a businessman accompanied by friends Tarosh Abhay Deewanji, 18, a student from Kandivli  and Manish Navin Chaturvedi, 28, a businessman from Goregaon, were driving a Maruti Swift car and coming from JP road at 3.30 am. As they tried to cross the Four Bungalows junction signal, a tempo coming from the east direction at full speed collided with them, killing Deewanji on the spot. A Fiat Palio that was following the Swift also rammed into the car.

The Palio car was driven by Abhishek Anil Sethi, 20, a B Sc IT student from Vidya Lankar Institute, Dadar, and accompanied by Rahul Kishor Vidhane, 20, a student in the US, who had come to the city to attend his sister’s wedding. Vidhane sustained minor injuries while Sethi died on the spot.

“The red Maruti Swift driven by Avlani was coming from JP road followed by a Fiat Palio driven by Sethi. They were passing from the Four Bungalow cross-roads when the tempo hit the Swift from the right direction. Sethi tried to overtake the speeding tempo, while Avlani tried to overtake both. The tempo driven by one Leo Castelino, 51, after the collision was hit from behind by a Tata Indigo car driven by one Uday Zariwala,” said assistant inspector A M Bagwaan of Versova police station.

An autorickshaw driver Prabhat Kumar Jawahar Singh, 21, who was waiting for a passenger too was hit by the Swift and his autorickshaw was thrown up. The Swift car also hit a stationary milk van. The police have recorded Singh’s statement, who sustained minor injuries. Singh stays at Santacruz East with other autorickshaw drivers and is married.

Tempo driver Leo Castelino

“Castelino has been transporting film shooting equipment for 10 years in his tempo and was regularly hired by production houses like Balaji Telefims. Castelino, who suffered minor injuries, was about to go to Pune on Tuesday and at the time of the accident was returning after delivering equipment at Film City,” his wife Donathy told Mumbai Mirror.

According to Sethi’s father, Anil, he was to appear for Mathematics examination on Tuesday and was studying late. “Abhishek invited Rahul for a coffee and the two left at night,” Anil said from his residence in Suman Towers in Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri.

Gaurav Avlani who drove the Maruti Swift

The police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against Sethi, Avlani and Castelino and booked them under Sections 279, 337, 338, 304 (A) and 427 of the Indian Penal Code.

Chaturvedi, who was seriously injured, is recuperating at Nanavati Hospital in the intensive care unit.

The police is also investigating the angle that Avlani and Sethi might have been racing on the road resulting in the accident.

According to Harish Baijal, deputy commissioner, traffic, “Those who wore seat belts were saved in the accident and those who did not suffered injuries.”