Two police constables killed, one critical in separate hit-and-run accidents in Pune

In the accident that took place around 1.40 am on Monday near Bopodi underpass, constable Samadhan Koli, 44, was killed, and constable Sanjog Shinde, 35, was critically injured.

“The two constables were on their routine night patrolling round as beat marshals for Khadki area on their bike when their vehicle was hit by a car near Bopodi underpass. A probe has now revealed that the car hit the bike from behind, possibly in an attempt to overtake another vehicle. The impact of the accident was such that Koli, who we believe was riding pillion, was hurled up and fell on the car. Both sustained serious head injuries. Constable Koli lost a lot of blood at the spot. A commuter passing by informed the control room about the accident and patrol teams were asked to move to the location. Another patrol team that reached the spot found out that the victims were cops.” said Vijaykumar Magar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4).

DCP Magar added, “Both were rushed to hospital. Koli was pronounced dead and Shinde remained unconscious. Shinde has been shifted to Ruby Hall Hospital and his condition is stable.” Meanwhile, senior officers rushed to the spot and hospital and a coordinated probe was launched to identify and arrest the driver.

“While there are CCTV cameras covering the spot where the accident took place, our teams started looking at all the cameras installed on the approach roads towards the spot. We established the route traced by the vehicle and also got a definitive image from a camera to identify the vehicle,” DCP Magar added. Probe revealed that the driver left the car at a spot in Pimple Gurav and had then gone home. The driver, identified as Siddharth Raju Kengar alias Gotya (24), was arrested from his home and was found to be asleep when the police reached there. Kengar has been charged with culpable homicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Provision of the Motor Vehicle Act.

“Initial probe suggests that Kengar had consumed alcohol before the accident. After his arrest he was sent for a medical examination and a sample was taken to test his blood alcohol level. Kengar works at an automobile service centre in Phugewadi. An investigation revealed the Swift car was owned by a person named Mukesh Atwal and he had given it to a person named Robin to use. Robin and Kengar are friends and it has come to light that Kengar had taken the vehicle from Robin to take it out for a night drive. We are probing who else was in the car with Kengar and are also trying to trace Atwal and Robin,” said a senior officer who is part of the probe.

In the second hit and run accident, police head constable Sachin Vishnu Mane (48) was killed after his two-wheeler was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Pimple Saudagar area around 10.30 pm on Sunday. “Constable Mane was currently posted with the CID as a driver. Initial information suggests he was on his way home after visiting someone at a hospital. We got information from local residents who informed the control room about the accident. We are yet to identify the vehicle that hit his bike. We have started examining footage from a number of CCTV cameras installed in the area,” said Mahesh Bansode, Inspector, Sangvi police station.
Mane hailed from Jejuri area in Pune district and currently lived at Spine Road area in Moshi with his family. He was posted in the Motor Transport Department of the Pune City Police. He was assigned to the official vehicle of an officer of Superintendent of Police rank with the CID since the last four months, an officer said. He is survived by his wife and two children, the officer added.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Sachin Hire said, “We are yet to identify the vehicle or the driver. A number of CCTV cameras in the nearby area are not working. Our teams are working out all possible clues. We hope to soon identify the vehicle and arrest the driver.”