The spate of hit & run cases in Maharashtra continues, with the latest incident claiming the life of a 45-year-old professor from Virar. Atmaja Kasat, a professor at VIVA Junior College in Maharashtra's Virar, was killed on Thursday after being hit by an SUV. The driver of the Fortuner, 25-year-old Shubham Pratap Patil, was allegedly drunk at the time of the incident. Atmaja Kasat was walking back home from work when the accident occurred. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to severe injuries a few hours later, reported news agency PTI.
The accident occurred within the Arnala Sagri police station jurisdiction around 6:30 PM. The impact of the accident hurled her on a divider, reported NDTV Marathi.
A medical examination of Shubham Patil confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Senior inspector Vijay Patil said that Shubham Patil was arrested and now faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections 105(culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 281 (rash or negligent driving) and the Motor Vehicles Act 184 (dangerous driving) and 185 (drunk driving).
Badlapur Hit & Run Accident
The Virar incident comes just two days after another teacher, Sunita Pintukar from Potdar International School - Ambernath, was killed in a hit & run incident in Badlapur. According to TV9 Marathi, Pintukar, along with her colleagues had gone to Barvi Dam for a picnic. A speeding car hit Pintukar dealing severe injuries to her head. She was rushed to a hospital but soon succumbed to her injuries.
The driver, identified as Siddesh Malve, fled the scene after causing the accident but was arrested after a thorough investigation.
Worli BMW Hit & Run
On July 20, 28-year-old Vinod Lad was hit by a speeding BMW. Lad passed away seven days after the accident, which occurred on Abdul Gaffar Khan Road near Worli Sea Link. The driver, Kiran Indulkar, was arrested.
This was similar to another incident in which a woman lost her life after a BMW hit the scooter she was on with her husband in Worli. Kaveri Nakhwa was fatally injured when the luxury car hit the bike.
The driver, Mihir Shah, was later arrested and remanded to judicial custody.