Mumbai: The 23-year-old motorist, Sumer Merchant, booked for knocking down jogger and tech firm CEO Rajalakhsmi Vijay on March 19, leading to her death, was driving at a speed of 120kmph at the time of the accident, the chargesheet filed by the police indicates. The police received this information from Tata Motors as Merchant was driving a Tata Nexon with his two friends that day.
As per the chargesheet, the police had made an email enquiry from the automobile company and received a response from a company official. As per the company response, between 5.45am and 6am on March 19, the speed was nearly 100kmph, which increased to 120kmph between 6.01am and 6.02am. In the FIR, the time of accident is mentioned about 6am.
Eyewitnesses confirm the horrific accident at high speed
The chargesheet also contains statements of two eyewitnesses – friends Sylvestor Pereira and Kunal Rumade – who were in Rumade’s parked car. Both have narrated the manner in which the accident occurred after the first hit to the jogger.
They said they heard a loud noise and turned to see that a woman had fallen on the bonnet of the car on the other side of the road. They said the car moved further with her still on the bonnet and hit a divider, after which due to the impact the victim was tossed 10-15ft in the air. She then hit a tree before landing near the footpath, as per their statements.
Accused was trying to start the vehicle in an attempt to escape
Pereira and Rumade stated that they crossed the road towards the accident spot. They said they felt both Merchant and his male co-passenger sitting beside him were drunk. In their statement to the police, they stated that Merchant was trying to start the vehicle after the mishap and they prevented him and called the police. In their statement before a magistrate, they have said Merchant told his friend to take the vehicle from the spot. They said they told the youths that the car’s front wheels were out and they could not do so.
Acussed's friend confirms he was speeding
Merchant’s own friend Riya Bhatia is a witness, too. She has stated that on reaching Worli Sea Face, Merchant picked up speed. She said she asked him to slow down as she was frightened but he did not pay heed. She did not witness the accident, she stated, as she hid her face behind his seat due to fear.
Another eyewitness, a woman, has narrated how the white car that was at a “high speed” overtook her car before causing the accident. This witness, who was with her friends, had also called the police and later helped the deceased onto a stretcher after the police arrived. Her friend who was in the car stated how she saw a woman being flung into the air seconds after the speeding car overtook theirs.
Another witness confirms accused was drunk on the night before the accident
Yet another witness, Merchant’s male friend, stated that he had seen him consume alcohol close to 1.30 am that night. Merchant has been denying having consumed alcohol and even refuting the blood report that showed high alcohol content in his blood. However, other friends of the accused who were present with him at his home or before that at a restaurant, where some from the group consumed alcohol, didn’t mention this in their statements.
