Suspected hooch smugglers mow down elderly man

MUMBAI: Two men, who were carrying around 900 litres of hooch in their car, ran over a senior citizen in Borivli (W) on Friday. The duo then abandoned the car and fled. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was dragged for several metres and his skull was crushed.
The incident occurred around 4am on the Sudhir Phadke flyover, which connects Borivli east to west.The car was badly damaged.
"We found 22 rubber tubes beneath the driver's seat, the space between the front and back seats and the boot. Each rubber tube had 40 litres of hooch; there was 880 litres of hooch in all. It appears the accused were transporting the hooch somewhere. It's not clear if they were drunk," said an officer from the MHB Colony police station.
The Sudhir Phadke flyover connects Borivli (E) to Borivali (W).
The accused, who are yet to be traced, were travelling in a Fiat Palio. Around 4am, the duo was headed towards Borivli (W) on the bridge in great speed. They were probably trying to lose a Sumo tailing them. The driver of the Palio lost control and crashed into an iron railing on the left side of the flyover, said the police. "The car then rammed into the victim, who could either have been asleep on the footpath or walking on it. The car dragged the victim for 35 metres beneath its rear wheel before smashing into another portion of the railing. The car then took a sharp right turn, probably due to a tyre burst, before coming to a halt near the divider," said an officer.
A motorist passing by informed the police. "We had to use a crane to tow the car. It was then that we found the victim stuck beneath the rear tyre," said the officer.
A case of negligence was registered by the MHB Colony police. They have written to the RTO with the car's registration number and will trace the owner shortly. No CCTVs were installed in the stretch where the accident yook place. The Palio (MH02 NA 3633) has been impounded by the cops.