Mumbai Hit-And-Run: Son Alleges Police Colluded With Accused, Suppressed Evidence After Mother’s Death in Bandra Crash

Bharat Chavan, 32, whose 60-year-old mother Kasturba Chavan died last week in Bandra West, has demanded a fresh probe into the case. On August 18, he submitted a letter to Bandra police station through his lawyer, Yashab Virani, urging that appropriate legal sections be added to the FIR and that new statements be recorded. He expressed concerns over lapses in the investigation and the handling of the case by the police, as reported by the Free Press Journal.

In the complaint, Chavan alleged that the driver of the Mercedes, identified as 41-year-old Jeeva Munecha, ran away from the accident site without offering medical assistance to his mother. His lawyer also confirmed that a copy of this letter was sent to the Commissioner of Police. According to Chavan, the fatal accident took place on August 13, and instead of helping, the accused fled, which directly led to Kasturba’s death. He further claimed that Bandra police applied only bailable sections in the FIR, ignoring the non-bailable ones, and accused the investigating officer, PSI Ganesh Bharati, of rushing to release the accused despite the gravity of the offence, reported the Free Press Journal.

Chavan also alleged in his letter that the investigating officer recorded his statement under coercion and without the presence of his lawyer. He recounted that he had asked the IO to wait until his advocate arrived before signing, but the officer allegedly pressured him into giving a thumb impression. According to Chavan, the IO misled him by stating that the document was needed to release his mother from the hospital. He added that he was neither given the chance to read the FIR copy nor was he provided with one on the same day, reported the Free Press Journal.

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The letter further claimed that important CCTV footage and testimonies of eyewitnesses at the spot were never collected, nor were they shared with the bereaved family, thereby suppressing crucial facts of the case. Chavan went on to allege that the panch witnesses were manipulated. He stated that his mother’s hands had been completely crushed in the accident, yet no information regarding the post-mortem report was shared with him. Instead, the IO allegedly instructed him only to collect the body from Cooper Hospital. These accusations suggested collusion between the police and the accused, Chavan said, while demanding that the investigation be handed over to a fair and neutral officer, reported the Free Press Journal.

Speaking to the Free Press Journal directly, Chavan said, “I lost my mother, but the police only threatened us, which put us in jail. We saw the accused only once, and later he was out on bail.” He recalled that on August 13, his mother, Kasturba, was standing near Chimbai Beat Chowki in Bandra West, drinking tea, when she was fatally run over by Munecha’s Mercedes. Although Munecha, who works for businessman Upendra Singh, rushed her to Bhabha Hospital, doctors declared her dead upon arrival.