This story is from October 16, 2016

Bus driver flees after hitting teen, injures his dad’s friend next day

Bus driver flees after hitting teen, injures his dad’s friend next day
MUMBAI: The Pathares were hit by a double whammy last week. Sudhir Pathare’s 14-year-old son and his 45-year-old close friend sustained serious injuries in two separate road incidents on two separate days but by the same school bus driver at Chembur.
The accused driver, Anil Lokhande, was nabbed on Friday by passersby and handed over to Chembur police.
The first incident took place on Thursday.
Pathare’s son Raju (name changed) was crossing the road below RC Marg monorail station when a mini school bus hit him. Instead of helping the teen, though, the bus driver sped away.
A few passersby managed to recollect half the digits of the vehicle’s registration number as well as the name of the school printed on the bus body.
They informed Raju’s parents about the accident, who rushed to the spot and got him admitted to Joy Hospital where he was treated for head injuries and later discharged.
“We went to Chembur police station to lodge a complaint. Some passersby who had witnessed the accident remembered half of the registration number of the bus and the school’s name. The police were helpless as the number given was incomplete, so we started investigations on our own,” said Raju’s mother Harshada. CCTV footage of the spot, too, was not useful as it was hazy.

The Pathare family decided to man the spot themselves to nab the accused the next time he drove down that route.
The teen’s father, who runs a travel business, and his businessman friend Kedar Chemburkar (45) laid a trap near the accident spot the very next day. Soon enough, they spotted the mini bus.
“When we asked the driver to stop, he smelled a rat and accelerated. But Chemburkar jumped and caught the driver by his collar against the window. The driver refused to stop though, thereby dragging Chemburkar for at least 20 to 25 feet till the petrol pump at Chembur Naka. Members of the public managed to catch the driver near the petrol pump and handed him over to Chembur police,” said Sudhir.
Chemburkar sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Joy Hospital where Pathare’s son had been admitted. He has fractured his left leg and arm. He was discharged too.
“It’s a unfortunate incident. We have booked the bus driver for rash and negligent driving. Further investigations are on,” said Sandeep Dhal, senior inspector of Chembur police.
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About the Author
Ahmed Ali

S Ahmed Ali, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai, covers crime and related isues but sometimes he also takes up offbeat subjects. His interests: automobiles particularly bikes, and gymming.

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