Five policemen injured as SUV hits police van

Five policemen were injured after a speeding car hit their stationary patrol van in Powai in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Police have apprehended the driver of the Tata Sumo, while four other occupants managed to flee after the incident. According to cops, alcohol bottles were found in the car, and they believe that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol.

The driver of the SUV was identified as Sagar Gaikwad (27), and his blood samples have been sent to the laboratory. Reports are awaited.u00a0Three policemen were seriously injured, and are receiving medical attention. The doctors stated that their condition is stable. The other two cops were discharged after receiving medical attention.u00a0According to the police, the occupants of the car, who are friends, are residents of Airoli, Navi Mumbai, and were returning after partying at Juhu beach. At 3.30 am, the police were attending to a concrete mixture truck that had overturned in Powai on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link road.

ASI Kalyan Mandalik (55), constables Sridhar Sawakande (45), B D Dhagde (44), Tukaram Yadav (44), and Sudhir Pandit who had reached the spot, after taking details of the incident returned to the van to update the control room. While the policemen were getting into the van, the SUV rammed into the parked police van, and hit two constables Dhagde and Yadav.

"The car hit us so hard that we were flung into the air. I was badly hit and don't remember what happened after that. I gained consciousness only at the hospital. We were unlucky, as we were standing outside. The other cops escaped with minor injuries, as they were inside the van," said Dhadge.u00a0After the accident, owing to the night darkness, four occupants escaped from the spot and the driver Gaikwad, who sustained minor bruises was arrested. He has been arrested for rash and negligent driving. He will be produced in court today.u00a0