A major road accident was reported near Anda Point on the old Mumbai–Pune Highway on Friday night after a tempo transporting heavy pipes crashed into a height barricade, causing the load to fall onto two cars behind it. The mishap occurred within the jurisdiction of the Khopoli Police Station, triggering panic among motorists using the busy stretch. The sudden collapse of the pipes led to a chaotic scene, with the two vehicles getting crushed under the weight of the material in what officials described as a freak accident.
According to police, the accident took place around 9.15 pm when the tempo (MH 43/PA/3703) was travelling from Pune towards Mumbai. The vehicle allegedly rammed into a height barricade erected at Anda Point in Khalapur taluka of Raigad district. The impact caused the heavy pipes loaded on the tempo to topple onto the vehicles trailing behind. Investigators stated that the driver, Jadhir Abdul Shaikh (44), was allegedly driving at excessive speed in a rash and negligent manner, ignoring road conditions at the ghat section.
The pipes first struck a Kia car and subsequently hit a Hyundai Verna driven by Chandani Ashok Shah (36), a resident of Lonavala. Both cars were severely damaged and trapped beneath the fallen load. Two individuals sustained injuries in the incident — Ripnavita Ashok Shah (72) and Baijnath Naguram Munde (50), both residents of Pune district. The driver of one of the cars was stuck inside the mangled vehicle and had to be carefully rescued by emergency teams at the scene.
A coordinated rescue operation was launched immediately, involving IRB patrolling teams, members of the Help Foundation, mechanics and crane operators working in the ghat section, personnel from Highway Traffic Police (Borghat), Delta Force, Maharashtra Security Force staff, as well as local residents and passersby. The trapped occupants were safely extricated and shifted by ambulance to Pawana for treatment at Lokmanya Hospital.
Based on a complaint, police registered a case under Sections 281 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2025, along with Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act for rash and negligent driving. Police Inspector Sachin Hire is supervising the investigation. Officials said the accused has no prior criminal record, and further inquiry into the circumstances of the accident is currently underway.