Parking lot attendants use our cars to give driving lessons, with deadly effect

MUMBAI: It took the death of a 40-year-old woman near south Mumbai’s Opera House to blow the lid off a racket in using parked cars for giving driving lessons.
A south Mumbai jeweller was in for quite a shock on Tuesday afternoon when he received a call from the police informing him that his car had been in an accident. On his way to the DB Marg police station, where he had been summoned for questioning, he tried piecing together the story he had unwittingly been made a part of.The police later informed him that the parking attendant whom he had given his keys to park his Honda City just a few hours earlier had given the car to his friend, Umesh Pawar. And, minutes after taking the wheel, Pawar rammed his car into Kusum Solanki, 40, who died on the spot.
Outraged relatives of the deceased and other residents of the area blame the police for not taking adequate and timely action against the parking lot contractor and attendants. They claimed that these men had been running an illegal business where they use parked cars to give driving lessons.
“Owners of the cars give their keys to these boys since they trust them and it saves them time trying to find a parking spot in the morning. During the afternoon hours, these attendants “teach” driving to local boys, charging anywhere between Rs 2,000 and 3,000 a month,” said Aarti Waghale, a resident of the area. She added that people are ready to pay the money since they get to drive around in fancy cars. Owners never come to know since the car is parked at the original spot by evening.
Police said that the jeweller gave his car keys to parking attendant, Mahendra Bhoir (24), on Tuesday morning since he was in a hurry to get to work. “Instead of parking the car immediately, Bhoir decided to take the car for a drive with his friend, Umesh Pawar. Pawar didn’t realize the car was in gear and pressed the accelerator instead of the clutch,” said Ajit Surve, senior police inspector of DB Marg police station.
Pawar rammed the Honda City into Kusum Solanki, dragging her for about 50 feet under the wheels, before finally crashing into a footpath. Solanki was washing clothes outside her hutment at Mathew Road near Opera House when the accident happened. She was rushed to the nearby Saifee Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Umesh Pawar was booked for rash and negligent driving and culpabale homicide not amounting to murder and remanded to 16 days of judicial custody.
Bhoir maintained he wasn’t giving any lessons and just wanted to take a joyride with his friend. “I have never sanctioned illegal use of parked cars. This was just a one-time accident,” said the contractor, Shankar Jha. Neither Bhoir nor Pawar held a valid driving licence.
Surve said the police was investigating into these allegations and would book Jha and Bhoire in the case. “Right now we have received a written complaint which we are examining. After gathering some more evidence, we can press charges against the contractor and the attendant,” he said. The police will also seek the help of the BMC, which owns the parking lot, to investigate if Jha was a legal contractor.