When death did them part

Smith Shah was dropping off a friend when his car rammed into a divider and turned turtle, killing his girlfriend Neha Malik on the spot; Shah and Malik were due to be engaged in a few months

After attending a wedding ceremony, this group of youths decided to go for a long drive past midnight on Sunday, to drop a friend at Worli. They had no inkling that they were driving straight towards disaster.


Smith Shah was driving this car to Worli after attending a marriage ceremony in Andheriu00a0

Before they knew it, disaster had struck, as their car rammed into a road divider at the Bandra Reclamation, instantly killing one of them.

When her tragic death befell her, the future was throbbing with possibility for the deceased, Neha Manik (21), who was looking forward to familial bliss, planning her engagement with her boyfriend Smith Shah (21), who was at the wheel of the ill-fated Maruti Swift (MH 03 AW 8585).
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Smith survived with major injuries, while other victims Rajni Shah (18) and Rupali Chandan (23) were discharged after undergoing treatment at Bhabha Hospital.

"We learnt from a family friend that Smith and Neha were planning to get engaged in a few months," said Police Sub Inspector K Gadve, who is investigating the case.

Prima facie, the police have ruled out drunken driving as the cause of the accident. "Medical reports have revealed that Smith, who was driving, was not under the influence of alcohol," said the Senior Police Inspector Samad Sheikh of the Bandra Police Station.
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"An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered," he added.

"The car belonged to Smith's father. After attending a marriage ceremony in Andheri, they were driving to Worli to drop one of their friends. I don't know how Smith will cope with the loss," said one of Shah's close friends.

Bandra police revealed that the incident occurred at around 1.40 am at the Reclamation. Witnessesu00a0 informed the police that the impact was so great that the car flipped mid-air after hitting the divider.

"All the injured were admitted to hospital at around 2 am last morning. While Neha was declared dead on admission, Rajni and Rupali were treated for minor injuries. Smith sustained major injuries, but his condition is stable now," said a doctor from Bhabha hospital.