Startled by stray dogs, yoga teacher ran towards road before fatal accident: Police

Nagpur: The city police detained the driver for questioning and seized the SUV which had knocked dead 72-year-old yoga teacher Mangala Kewte at Barlinge Chowk in Dharampeth area when she was on a morning walk on Saturday. According to preliminary investigation, Kewte, resident of Khare Town in Dharampeth, was walking along the left side of the road when stray dogs started barking loudly. A startled Kewte ran towards the road. At that moment, the Innova car, allegedly driven at high speed by a man identified as Ashish Yadav, tossed her before crushing her under its wheels.The incident has sparked anger among locals who have long complained about stray dogs on roads, especially in the dark. Many residents demanded immediate action against reckless driving and check on stray dogs population in the area.The SUV also hit a biker, identified as Pandey, at Bole petrol pump Square before speeding away. Kewte was rushed to hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.Sitabuldi police, led by senior inspector Vittal Singh Rajput and sub-inspector Vinod Tiwari, traced the vehicle to Seoni using its registration number and CCTV footage, and brought it to Nagpur. The police sources said the driver panicked after the crash and drove straight to Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) where he parked the vehicle and left.Yadav appeared before Sitabuldi police on Sunday. The SUV is undergoing forensic tests to confirm speed and other technical details. The vehicle belongs to Vijay Khandelwal from Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.Senior police officials assured a thorough probe. The case is being treated as a hit-and-run with possible charges of rash driving and causing death by negligence.Yadav had driven Khandelwal's daughter and son-in-law from Seoni to Nagpur for medical treatment. Senior Inspector Rajput said the police have summoned Khandelwal's son-in-law and injured biker Pandey to verify Yadav's identity. Notices were issued to Yadav, asking him to appear again on Monday. He will be arrested once his identity is confirmed beyond doubt.
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