Archana Pandya was lying injured after the mishap, but did not get any help from passers-by. Police are also not sure if the CCTV covering the accident spot is functional.
A 22-year-old woman was killed in a hit-and-run involving an unknown vehicle on Wednesday night. What is shocking is that she was lying injured for around 20 minutes in front of the Vanrai police station in Goregaon (East), but the cops did not notice the victim. The police still don't have any clue about the vehicle or the driver.
The deceased has been identified as Archana Kirit Pandya, a resident of Verma Nagar, Andheri (East). She was working at Tata Consultancy Services in a back-office job (her first), at Goregaon. The police said Pandya was returning home and was waiting for an auto-rickshaw when the incident occurred. Archana's brother, Siddharth Pandya, told mid-day, "On Wednesday I received a call from Archana's phone and a police officer told me that my sister had met with an accident on the highway and she was in a very serious condition. The officer also told me to reach the Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari near the highway. I was at Vikhroli for my work on that day, and I immediately reached the hospital, where I found out my sister Archana had died."
An officer from Vanrai police station said, "On Wednesday, at around 8.05 pm, the girl was returning home and she crossed the highway. The vehicle hit her on the south-bound side of the highway. We also assume that the (unknown) accused stopped his vehicle after the incident and placed Archana's body on the footpath and fled from the spot."
PSI Kishori Mane of Vanrai police station added, "We reached the spot which is just outside the police station and took Pandya to hospital in an auto rickshaw. Nobody helped her and she was lying on the road for 15 to 20 minutes. An eyewitness informed the police station and ran away after that. We are taking help of the CCTV footage of the area. There is a CCTV installed near the spot, but we are not sure if it is in working condition. We don't have a clue in this case. We have registered a hit-and-run case against unknown people and are investigating the matter further."
Siddharth further said, "The incident occurred on the fourth day of Archana's new job. She was very happy with the job. She came home daily by auto, but she never crossed the highway. Police say my sister crossed the road and the accident happened on the second lane of the highway. The accused should be punished. The incident occurred in front of the police station, but police don't have any knowledge, which is shocking. Justice should be delivered."