A one-and-a-half-year-old boy was killed, and his mother sustained a fracture in her left shoulder after a car allegedly ran over them while they were asleep on a footpath at Balaram Khedekar Marg in Wadala early on Sunday.
The RAK Marg police have registered an FIR against the driver, Kamal Vijay Riya, 46, a resident of Bhavya Heights, Wadala.
Police officials said Kamal did not appear intoxicated, but blood samples have been sent for testing.
“He was returning home from a family dinner with his parents in the car. A car suddenly cut in front of him, and in attempting to avoid a head-on collision, he swerved right, lost control of the vehicle, and mounted the footpath, hitting the boy and his mother,” a senior police officer said.
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Following the accident, the child was rushed to Wadia Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His mother is currently undergoing treatment at KEM Hospital. The deceased was identified as 18-month-old Vardan Londhe.
Family left homeless, forced to sleep on the footpath
The child’s mother, Priya Nikhil Londhe, 29, complained to the police. She lives with her husband, Nikhil Londhe, 25, and their two sons, Swaroop, 5, and Vardan, 18 months, in the Mang Garodi Samaj Slum near Ram Mandir, Wadala.
Nikhil, who works as a food delivery executive, stated that their family was left without a proper home after their rented dwelling on the footpath was demolished, forcing them to sleep in the open.
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“The incident occurred around 12:15 am on Sunday when I was out delivering food in Dadar. After feeding our younger son, Priya lay down to sleep next to him. Suddenly, she felt a heavy weight on her body and realised she couldn’t move her left arm. She screamed for help upon seeing the car,” said Nikhil.
Neighbours rushed to help
Hearing her cries, Priya’s brother Omkar Kale and neighbours Satish Kale, Maruti Jadhav, and Kiran Kale rushed to the scene.
The child was found trapped under the car’s front tyre, which had crushed him, causing severe injuries.
Bystanders pulled the boy from under the vehicle and rushed him to Wadia Hospital on a motorcycle.
However, he was declared dead around 1:30 a.m. Priya was taken to KEM Hospital, where an X-ray confirmed a fracture in her left shoulder. Doctors advised her to wear a plaster for eight days to facilitate healing.
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“My wife’s condition is critical. She remains in the hospital, struggling with both physical and emotional pain,” Nikhil said.
The car, a white vehicle with registration number MH01-CT-7256, was driven by Kamal Vijay Riya, a resident of Bhavya Heights, Wadala.
The police have booked Riya under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 125 (endangering human life or personal safety by rash or negligent acts), and 281 (negligent driving on a public road) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
He was subsequently arrested by the RAK Marg police. Investigations into the case are ongoing.