Sion accident: Beer bottles in SUV hint at drunk driving

Twelve persons were injured after an SUV and a tempo collided on Mehta bridge along BA Road in Matunga in the wee hours of Sunday.

The tempo driver Mujnik Nasir Mohammad Khan (25) and SUV owner Ashish Sawant have sustained serious injury in the accident.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2 am on Sunday when the SUV with 11 passengers, all residents of Bhandup, were travelling from Sion towards CST and the tempo was coming from Dadar towards Sion. The vehicles, travelling in opposite direction, met with a head-on collision. Following this, oil spilt from the tempo, and the fire brigade had to be called for help. The fire control room said that all the injured persons were rushed to a nearby civic-run hospital in Sion.

"We are waiting for the medical reports to ascertain if the driver was drunk or not. We have found beer bottles in the SUV and initial probes suggest the SUV driver to be at fault. Further investigation on the case is on," said an officer investigating the case.

"All the injured except Ashish Sawant have been discharged from the hospital after primary treatment. Sawant, who has sustained a serious head injury is recuperating. We have registered a case against the SUV driver based on the complaint filed by the tempo driver," said BM Kakad, Senior Inspector, Matunga Police Station.

A case has been registered against the driver of the SUV Parag Prakash Shirke (31) in Matunga police station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 279 (Rash driving) and 184 (Driving dangerously).