The Mumbai police on Saturday apprehended the driver of Urmila Kanetkar Kothare after the Marathi film actor’s car ran over two construction site workers. The police said one of the labourers succumbed to his injuries, while the actor, her driver and another labourer sustained injuries and were hospitalised.
According to the police, the incident took place around 12.45 am on Saturday. “The actor was returning home after meeting a friend when the accident took place,” a police officer said.
The actor, who was seated in the back seat, had dropped a friend at Jogeshwari and was heading home in Thane via Godbunder Road when her driver, identified as Gajanan Pal, allegedly lost control of the vehicle near Poisar Metro station in Kandivali.
“The driver and the actor told us that the driver of another vehicle was driving rashly and overtook their car. To avoid hitting that vehicle, Pal swerved, losing control of the car,” said senior police inspector Anil Patil. He added that police were examining CCTV footage to determine the exact cause of the accident.
The car crashed into a barricade and then into the labourers who were working near Poisar Metro station. Around five workers were installing an underground pipeline there. “One of the two workers, identified as Samratdas Jitendra Das, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while the injured worker was identified as Sujan Ravidas. The actor also sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital,” a police officer said.
The police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the actor’s driver at Samta Nagar police station. “The driver is in our custody,” Patil said.
The police have also seized the Hyundai car bearing registration number MH-47-AG-7657, and collected blood samples of the driver to determine if he was driving under the influence of alcohol. “We are also trying to determine whether he dozed off while driving, which may have caused him to lose control of the car. We are probing every aspect of the incident,” an officer said.
Urmila is the wife of Adinath Kothare, the son of veteran Marathi film director Mahesh Kothare.
Why should you buy our Subscription?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package
