A 52-year-old head constable attached to Worli police station was killed and his colleague seriously injured after a speeding car allegedly rammed into them while they were on VIP bandobast duty near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link–Coastal Road connector on Tuesday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Head Constable Dattatray Kumbhar, who died on the spot, said police. Constable Riddhi Patil, deployed alongside him, sustained multiple fractures and was rushed to Wockhardt Hospital, where doctors said her condition is stable.
According to police, the accident took place around 7.25 am at the Coastal Road–BKC connector. A Hyundai Grand i10, allegedly being driven at high speed, lost control and crashed into the two constables. Both Kumbhar and Patil were on their night duty shift, and they were deployed near the BKC connector for VIP bandobast duty. Minutes before the crash occurred, both were winding up their duty, preparing to go home.
Before being posted at Worli, Kumbhar was posted in Sewri police station’s Anti-Terrorism Cell (ATC). The driver, 46-year-old Ramchandra Rane, was caught immediately and placed under arrest. His blood samples have been sent for medical analysis to check if he was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, said police, adding, he will be produced before court on Wednesday.
CCTV footage from the connector is also being examined to determine the vehicle’s speed and the circumstances leading to the crash, said police.
An FIR has been registered at Worli police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death by negligence and causing hurt/endangering life by rash or negligence, along with provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Motor Vehicles Act.
Senior officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Choudhary, visited the hospital to meet the injured constable and the families of both officers. The family of the deceased police personnel were promised to be provided with all possible assistance by the Mumbai police.
Police said that Kumbhar’s body was sent for postmortem at JJ Hospital before being handed over to the family, adding that Constable Patil is expected to remain hospitalised for a few more days.
The Sea Link and adjoining Coastal Road stretch has seen heightened deployment in recent weeks due to diversions and protests. Just last week, police booked 25 people for creating a ruckus and assaulting on-duty personnel during the Maratha reservation agitation at the Sea Link toll plaza. After the Ganpati bandobast duty, police personnel on Sunday and Monday continued their Eid-e-Milad bandobast duty.
