The family, which was returning from a birthday party on Sunday night, demands death penalty for driver, who was caught by passers-by before he could flee
The Kolekars were giddy with happiness at the thought of their son, Sarthak, hitting another milestone — his sixth birthday — in two weeks. But their lives came crashing down on Sunday night when a drunk car driver mowed him down, along with his grandfather, in Oshiwara.
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The driver, Indrajit Nattoji, was chased down by locals and passers-by on bikes and caught
Sarthak, grandfather Bhiku Kolekar (65), mother Shilpa (30) and grandmother Indu (58) — residents of sector 2 in Gorai— were crossing a road in Anand Nagar in Oshiwara while returning from a relative’s birthday party around 10 pm when a speeding Volkswagen crashed into them. The impact flung Bhiku across the road, while the 5-year-old boy was thrown up in the air. He landed on the car’s bonnet and rolled off onto the road. The driver, Indrajit Nattoji, a 45-year-old resident of Yari Road in Andheri West, however, did not stop. He was chased down by locals and passersby on bikes and caught. Shilpa suffered minor injuries on her shoulder. The boy and his mother were rushed to the nearby Ruby Hospital, where Sarthak was declared dead on arrival. Bhiku was taken to Cooper Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He, too, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Bhiku Kolekar with Sarthak
Sarthak’s father, Sandeep, said he could not make it to the birthday party because he was at a satsang with his brother. “My mother’s sari had come loose as they started crossing the road. So, she stayed back. My wife stopped for her. My son and my father walked a little ahead when the car ran them over. The driver knocked down my wife.”
Video: Minor killed in road mishap in Mumbai's Andheri area
The bereaved family — (from left) grandmother Indu, mother Shilpa and father Sandeep. Pic/Sameer Markande
The Oshiwara police have recovered liquor bottles from the car. Nattoji owns a production house and is a director.
Subhash Khanvilkar, senior inspector at the Oshiwara police station, said Natoji has been arrested under Sections 304 A (causing death by negligence), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering the life or personal safety of others) and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the IPC. “We performed a medical test on him and found that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol.” The police said Nattoji was on his way home after a party in Bangur Nagar. Sarthak was an upper kindergarten student of Oxford Public School in Gorai.
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