BEST bus driver hits and kills 9-year-old boy riding pillion on bicycle in Mumbai

Mumbai: A nine-year-old boy was killed in a road accident on Friday morning in the Appapada area in Malad (East) after the cycle he was riding pillion on was allegedly hit by a BEST bus.

The deceased was identified as Rupesh Dhotre. Sources said that Dhotre, along with his 14-year-old cousin, was returning home on a bicycle, ridden by the cousin, after meeting their grandmother in the vicinity at around 9 am. This was when a BEST bus overtook the bicycle and allegedly hit it from behind. Both the boys fell on the road and Dhotre came under the rear tyre of the bus. His father, who was returning home, saw the accident. He, along with locals, immediately rushed Dhotre to hospital, where he was declared dead.

The police arrested the bus driver, Dilip Gangad, 34. He has been booked for negligence causing death. Investigators are recording statements of concerned persons and studying the CCTV footage.