Mulund hit-and-run: Techie Vijay Gore sent to police remand till July 26

MUMBAI: Software engineer Vijay Gore, who allegedly crashed his Audi into two autorickshaws while driving under the influence of alcohol in Mulund on Monday morning, was remanded on Tuesday to police custody till July 26.

Gore, who lives in Runwal Forest in Kanjurmarg West with his family, was produced before the metropolitan magistrate court in Mulund on Tuesday, said senior inspector Ajay Joshi from the Mulund police station. He said the police are collecting CCTV footage and recording statements of the bar managers and hotel staff at Bhandup and Thane where he purportedly consumed alcohol on Sunday night before the accident on Monday morning.

Gore smelled of alcohol when he was arrested around 4-5 hours after the accident and his blood samples were sent to the forensic science laboratory to ascertain the blood-alcohol content. “We are still awaiting the report from the hospital and the laboratory,” said a police officer.

According to the police, Gore, during his interrogation, revealed that he had left his house on Sunday at around 7pm and consumed alcohol in Bhandup, after which he travelled to Thane and then to Karjat. He left Karjat early in the morning on Monday and took a right turn off the Eastern Express Highway after crossing Mulund toll plaza. He entered Mulund West and was headed to Thane via the Dumping Road when he hit an autorickshaw driven by Santosh Walekar, 49, which in turn hit another autorickshaw driven by Santosh Jaiswal, 26.

Both Walekar and Jaiswal were ferrying a passenger each. Prakash Jadhav, 46, a BEST employee, was headed to his office in Walekar’s auto while Hanuman Chavan, 57, was travelling in Jaiswal’s auto. Both the auto drivers and the passengers suffered injuries due to the accident.

“Walekar was severely injured and fractured his leg. Jaiswal was also injured on his leg while Jadhav was injured on his wrist. They are all admitted in different hospitals and their condition is stable,” said Joshi.

Soon after the accident, Gore left his Audi at the site and fled to his residence in an auto. But after he found that his house was locked as his wife had stepped out for some work, he went to his sister’s place in Kanjurmarg East, from where he was apprehended later, said police.

Gore has been booked under section 281 (rash driving), 125 (A) (B) (act endangering life or personal safety of others, causing hurt and grievous hurt) and 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 185 (drunk driving), 184 (dangerous driving) and 134 (duty of driver in case of accident and injury to a person) of the Motor Vehicles Act.