Mumbai:
In a freak accident, a three-year-old girl was crushed to death by a vehicle travelling at high speed while she was playing in the compound of her building in Malad (West) on Thursday evening.
According to the police, at around 4.30pm, Anushka Jain, a resident of Aradhana building, Zakeria Road in Malad (West), was playing with other children in the society compound when Sujeet alias Raju Chandrashakhar Pratap, 35, started a Scorpio car and took off at high speed, hitting the girl with the front wheel while taking a turn.
"Jain fell down and the front wheel ran over her head due to which she died on the spot," said a police officer. "After the incident, the other children started crying, but before the residents of the society could gather, Pratap fled from the spot," the officer added.
When the Malad police were informed, it took the vehicle in its custody and sent out a team to nab Pratap. The owner of the vehicle, Boralal Jain, resides in the same building and had employed Pratap a few months ago," the officer said.
The neighbours who witnessed the incident confirm Pratap was driving rash. "The Jains were going out and were yet to step out of their house when Pratap started the vehicle and took a turn at high speed, killing the girl," said a neighbour.
Another neighbour said, "Nilesh Jain, 30, the father of the victim, is a businessman and runs a hardware shop in the same building. Jain's wife had delivered a baby girl around two months ago and the family was celebrating."
"The body was sent to Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli for post-mortem and we have done the panchnama of the spot. Pratap is untraceable so far," said police sub inspector MD Niwatkar of the Malad police station. A case has been registered against Pratap for causing death due to rash and negligent driving.
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