Navi Mumbai, July 7, 2026: One person was killed and five others were injured after an uncontrolled SUV allegedly rammed into multiple vehicles before crashing into a roadside food stall in Taloja on Tuesday afternoon.
Police suspect that Araafat Shabbir Patel (23), son of a civil contractor from Taloja, was behind the wheel at the time of the accident and have launched a search to trace him. The SUV involved in the crash is registered in the name of Shabbir Patel.
SUV Hits Multiple Vehicles
The accident occurred around 12 pm in Sector 9 of Taloja Phase I. According to the police, the SUV (MH 46 DA 4814) was allegedly speeding when the driver lost control, hitting a motorcycle, an autorickshaw and a tempo before crashing into a roadside food stall.
Police said the deceased, Nadeem Azam Khan (35), was the last person to be struck by the SUV. Khan, who was reportedly returning from a gym, sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot. The occupants of the vehicles that were hit earlier in the sequence survived the crash, though several suffered serious injuries.
The impact was severe enough to hurl one motorcycle onto the tempo, trapping its rider underneath. Local residents rushed to the spot and manually lifted the vehicle to rescue the victim. The autorickshaw overturned in the collision, while another motorcycle was also extensively damaged.
The injured have been identified as Sharafuddin Shakir Ali (43), Ramdulare Ramsahay Gupta (37), Sunny Mahendra Nishad (33), Vighnesh Santosh Pansare (17), and tempo driver Mohammad Gulfaraz Md. Naseem Sheikh (28).
Police said two to three of the injured are in critical condition. All were shifted to MGM Hospital in Kamothe for treatment, while Khan's body was sent to the sub-district hospital for post-mortem.
Police Probe Underway
Soon after the accident, local residents claimed that the SUV driver had allegedly been chasing a motorcycle after it reportedly brushed against the vehicle moments earlier, eventually leading to the crash. However, police said there is no evidence so far to support the claim.
“The exact sequence of events and how the accident occurred can only be ascertained after the person behind the wheel is apprehended and questioned. We have examined the CCTV footage collected from the area, and nothing indicating that the SUV was chasing a motorcycle is visible in the footage available to us,” said Police Inspector Sagar Nikam of Taloja Police Station.
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The driver allegedly abandoned the SUV and fled immediately after the crash. A forensic team and the I-Bike accident investigation unit inspected the accident site and collected evidence.
While going to press, the process of registering the FIR was still underway. Police said efforts to trace the suspected driver were continuing, and further investigation is in progress.
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