Marine Drive hit-and-run: Accused identified but untraceable

Ashwini Jain

Two days after a 55-year-old businessman out jogging on Sunday morning was killed in a hit-and-run at Marine Drive, the police have identified the accused. However, while the police know where in Malad the accused lives, he is currently untraceable.

Kalbadevi resident, Ashwini Jain, who owned a textile business, was at Marine Drive as usual on Sunday morning. Witnesses told the police that there were four or five cars racing on Marine Drive at the time. After the accident, the police got down to looking for the accused and scanned CCTV footage along the possible route the accused could have taken. On Tuesday morning, the police found the car number, through which they located the home of the accused, but he was not at home when the cops came knocking.

The spot where Jain was crossing the road after parking his bike at B D Somani Chowk

When mid-day reached B D Somani Chowk where the accident took place, an eyewitness said as soon as the incident happened, a well-built man, who was also on a morning walk, flagged down a taxi and put the injured man inside. But, just then a few police personnel arrived in uniform and took the injured out of the taxi and put him inside a police van.

The well-built then identified himself as Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivdeep Lande. He said, "On Sunday, I was out jogging, when I heard a loud sound and saw people running towards someone lying on the road. When I reached him, he was bleeding profusely and I tried to put him into a taxi. The Marine Drive police arrived just then and took him to GT Hospital."

Jain succumbed to his injuries at GT Hospital as he had already lost a lot of blood. Jain's son, Meerul, 32, said, "My father used to jog at Marine Drive every day as he was extremely fitness conscious. Around 7 am, I got a call from the police, who told us to visit GT Hospital. It was only when we reached there that we learnt about the accident."

A relative, Dilip Jain, said, "The police told us that there were a few people driving rashly, and when Ashwini parked his bike and was crossing the road, a red car hit him at great speed and raced away, leaving him bleeding on the road."

Also Read: Mumbai: Speeding car kills walker in Marine Drive hit-and-run

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