The Tuesday night high-speed chain-reaction car crash incident took a tragic turn on early hours of Thursday as one of the seriously hurt victims succumbed to his injuries. Bablu Karan Kulmethe (41), a resident of Adivasi Nagar, one of the victims of Gorewada Road car crash, was declared dead by the doctors at around 2.30 am on Thursday. Gittikhadan Police have registered a case of attempted culpable homicide against the woman driver, Dipali Sushant Bhuyan (32), a resident of Mangalmurti Layout, Khadgaon Road.

 

According to police and the injured, Dipali was driving Kia Seltos SUV (MH31-FU-0272) towards Adivasi Nagar on Tuesday night. She runs an artificial jewellery shop in Dharampeth and was returning home when the incident occurred. Bablu stepped out of the car with his two-year-old son, Priyansh. He went towards the rear of the vehicle to take out some belongings. His family members were nearby. Suddenly, Dipali’s car came from behind. It rammed into the rear of the parked car. The impact was so strong that Bablu and Priyansh were trapped between the two vehicles. Both suffered serious injuries. Priyansh suffered a severe head injury. The impact of the collision pushed Kulmethe family’s car forward. Vanshika Prithviraj Kulmethe (14) was standing in front of the vehicle. She was also struck and injured. For residents of the area, the crash came without a warning.

 

The loud impact brought people out of their houses. Within minutes, huge crowd gathered at the spot. Some residents rushed to help the injured. Others stopped Dipali from leaving the spot. Bablu worked with Bank of India in Kalmeshwar branch. Police took Dipali into custody. Bablu’s sister-in-law Sunita lodged a complaint. She alleged that Dipali was driving under the influence of alcohol. Her blood sample has been sent to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) to determine whether she was under the influence of an intoxicant while driving. Police sources claimed that Dipali appeared to be intoxicated and her speech was incoherent at the time of the crash. The forensic report is awaited. According to the eyewitnesses, whatever came in the path of the car, she hit it under alleged influence of liquor. A motorcycle. An auto-rickshaw.

 

Another two-wheeler. A man walking near Gittikhadan Square. A girl. And finally, Bablu’s car parked outside his house. The car did not stop after the first crash. It continued moving through the area before crashing into a tree in a residential lane. By then, seven persons were injured. Harish Rambhau Rewatkar (46) of Gayatri Nagar, Godhani, was first hit by the car near the square. Instead of stopping, the vehicle continued towards Adivasi Nagar. On the way, it struck other vehicles. Baburao Jevakram Kulmethe (42), Sachin Bhagatsingh Salame (41) and Sinendra Natthu Kulmethe (52) told police that their motorcycle, auto-rickshaw and two-wheeler were hit by the car. As per information, Dipali was produced before a court on Wednesday. The court remanded her to three days’ police custody.