A labourer sleeping on the footpath with her family succumbed to injuries in a hit-and-run case. The I-20 car with registration number GJ-01-RU 8964 ran over five labourers sleeping on the footpath, near Bimanagar, Shivranjani Cross Roads in the city at about 12.30 am on 29th June 2021. The car in this hit-and-run case is registered in the name of Shailesh Shah, resident of G-2 Siddhgiri Apartment, located in Maharashtra Society, at Mithakali in Ahmedabad.
On visiting Shah’s residence, team Vibes of India (VoI) found that the door was locked and a newspaper dated 29th June, 2021 was lying on the footstep of the grill of the front door. Neighbours affirmed that they learned about the accident in the morning but were unaware of Shah and his son’s whereabouts in the morning. Some even chose to remain tight-lipped.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Tejas Patel also confirmed that their team investigating the case had visited the house of Shah but found it to be locked, in the morning.
“We are tracing Shah to find out who was driving the car in the night. We will also match his cell phone location with the site of the accident to ascertain whether it was him who was driving the car or not. Only after questioning Shah, will we know who was behind the wheels when the car ran over the labourers sleeping on the footpath. We will also try and investigate whether or not this was a race between two cars,” added DCP Patel in the morning.
But in the evening around 8 pm, Parv Shah, Shailesh Shah’s son surrendered before N-divison Traffic Police station. He was then taken for blood and Covid-19 tests.
According to the FIR lodged by one of the victims Rupesh Bhabor, 20, a native of Dahod and working as a labourer in the city – Rupesh along with his parents, father Babu Bhabhor, 40 and mother Sattu Bhabor, 38 and his two brothers, Jetan, five and Vikram, seven, were sleeping on the footpath under a night shelter, located near Bimanagar. A speeding car suddenly came from the Nehrunagar side and ran them over.
According to the FIR, all five of them were first rushed to the Sola Civil Hospital where Sattuben was declared dead while others were later shifted to Asarwa Civil hospital.
NINE TRAFFIC NORMS VIOLATION MEMOS PENDING ON THE CAR
Traffic DCP Patel said that while carrying out further investigation on the car, they found that there were nine traffic norm violation memos, still pending on the vehicle. “We are to form a squad for recovery of fines and soon traffic cops with POS (Point of Sale) machines will be on the roads to identify such vehicles and recover fines from violators,” added DCP Patel.
WE HAD CAUGHT ONE AND HANDED OVER TO POLICE: COPS IN A DENIAL MODE
The complainant, Rupesh Shah said that at the time of the accident there were four persons in the car. “We had caught one of them and handed him over to the police,” he said. However, DCP Patel said that he had a talk with the traffic police team which had reached the spot. “Nobody was handed over to us,” he added.
INJURED SHIFTED TO DAHOD AS NO BED WAS AVAILABLE IN CIVIL HOSPITAL: PRAVEEN BABHOR
One of the relatives of the victim Praveen Bhabhor claimed that while her aunty Sattuben had died, others who were injured in the accident were shifted to Asarwa Civil hospital but the doctors refused admission on claims that the hospital had no beds available till 11 am. “Hence, I hired a private vehicle and sent them to Dahod for further treatment,” he added.
DIFFERENT ANGLES TO BE INVESTIGATED: DCP TEJAS PATEL
- To find out if the car was registered in the name of Shailesh Shah or his son Parv Shah.
2. To find out who was driving the car, whether it was Shah or his son.
3. With the night curfew still in practice, what was the reason for the car to be on the road?
4. Whether two cars were racing when the accident happened.
5. To rope in RTO officials, forensic experts and a private agency for analysis of the accident.
