An auto driver suffered severe head injuries while a passenger sustained 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 auto to ram into an Innova Crysta that was being used as part of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s escort.
“The Innova Crysta was also damaged. Actor was in another car and there is nothing related to the actor,” a police officer from Juhu police station said.
The injured auto driver has been identified as Basit Khan, who is currently undergoing treatment at Cooper Hospital. The Juhu police have registered a case against the Mercedes driver, identified as Radheshyam Jitendra Rai, 55, and seized the vehicle bearing registration number MH01EV0002.
According to the police, the incident occurred at around 9.10 pm when Khan was heading towards Juhu and got stuck in traffic opposite Silver Beach Cafe. “Suddenly a speeding Mercedes came from behind and hit the auto. The auto in turn crashed into an Innova Crysta which was next to the auto,” a police officer said.
Due to the impact, Khan and passenger Aman Bharadwaj were allegedly trapped inside the autorickshaw. “The entire rickshaw was destroyed and Khan suffered serious injuries in his head, but out of danger. Bharadwaj suffered minor injuries,” the officer said.
Passersby alerted the police, following which a patrolling vehicle reached the spot. Both the auto driver and the passenger were rushed to hospital for treatment.
Rai was taken into custody and after completing legal formalities, a notice was served to him, police said. “The family of the auto driver said that proper free treatment and compensation is provided for the damage to the rickshaw,” another officer said.
Story continues below this ad
A senior police officer said that legal action has been taken against the Mercedes driver and clarified that “it is nothing related to the actor.”
