MUMBAI: A sweeper sleeping on a footpath near Girgaum Chowpatty was run over by a Mercedes E 200 owned by a leading industrialist who manufactures and distributes food products and edible oil. According to the Gamdevi police, the chauffeur, who was allegedly driving at the time, did not notice the man asleep in front of a shop, and fled from the spot after the accident. It was only after checking CCTV footage that the vehicle was identified, traced and the accused was arrested.
On Friday morning, the police were informed that a man sleeping near the BMC’s Babulnath Chowki—just outside the Oriental Club gate near Girgaon Chowpatty—was lying motionless. The gate is common to the club and Noor Mansion, where the industrialist stays.
“The call was from Sanjay Gohil, a contractor of the club,” said a police officer. “When the man was rushed to Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, the doctors informed us that he was dead due to shock and haemorrhage after suffering multiple fractures in his ribs.”
The police then began their investigation and went through the CCTV footage of the locality. “By then, the club staff and the society workers identified the man as Jagdish, who lived in Dharavi and worked with Parvati Kaliyan (39), a BMC sweeper,” said the police officer. “Parvati has a job in D Ward for the last 25 years, and farmed out work to the deceased right from then. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, he was well known in Bhuleshwar, as he would sweep the area with Parvati.”
The police officer said that after checking the CCTV footage, they found that a Mercedes that was going towards the club/Noor Mansion gate had run over him while taking a turn. “We identified the car registration number from the footage and contacted its owner,” said the police. “He claimed that the vehicle was being driven by their chauffeur Kamlesh Tripathi Jha (39) at the time. Jha stays in a slum pocket near the Mahalaxmi temple.”
The officer said that offences had been registered against Jha under Sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and 134 (duty of driver in case of accident and injury to a person) of the Motor Vehicles Act. “He was arrested and was later granted bail by the court,” he added.
Parvati said that Jagdish had worked with her for the last 25 years. “He was like a brother to me,” she said. “I carried out his last rites, as we don’t know where his family lives in Uttar Pradesh, nor do we have any phone numbers. He used to drink and sleep on the footpath. Jaggu was well known in Bhuleshwar.”
The police said they had seized the Mercedes involved in the incident.