An auto driver suffered serious head injuries while a passenger suffered minor injuries after a speeding Mercedes allegedly hit their autorickshaw when it was stuck in a traffic jam in Juhu on Monday night, police said. The impact caused the car to crash into an Innova Crysta that was being used as part of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s escort.
“The Innova Crysta was also damaged. The actor was in another car and there is nothing related to him,” said a police officer from Juhu police station.
The driver of the injured vehicle has been identified as Basit Khan, who is currently undergoing treatment at Cooper Hospital. The Juhu police registered a case against the driver of the Mercedes, identified as Radheshyam Jitendra Rai, 55, and seized the vehicle with registration number MH01EV0002.
According to police, the incident occurred around 9.10 pm when Khan was heading towards Juhu and got stuck in traffic in front of Silver Beach Cafe. “Suddenly, a speeding Mercedes came from behind and collided with the car. The car, in turn, collided with an Innova Crysta which was next to the car,” said a police officer.
Due to the impact, Khan and passenger Aman Bharadwaj were allegedly trapped inside the autorickshaw. “The entire rickshaw was destroyed and Khan suffered serious head injuries, but he is out of danger. Bharadwaj suffered minor injuries,” the officer said.
Passersby alerted the police, after which a patrol arrived at the scene. Both the driver of the vehicle and the passenger were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Rai was detained and after completing legal formalities, a notice was served on him, police said. “The family of the vehicle driver said that free treatment and adequate compensation are being offered for the damage sustained by the rickshaw,” another officer said.
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A senior police official said that legal action has been initiated against the driver of the Mercedes and clarified that “it has nothing to do with the actor.”
