Two Killed in Separate Road Accidents in Thane; Truck Driver Held After Ghodbunder Mishap
A young woman, Gajhal Tuteja (21), lost her life after being struck by a speeding truck on Thane-Ghodbunder Road, near the Nagla Bunder area, late on Saturday night. The truck driver, identified as Ranjit Singh Chandrapal Patel (30), a native of Madhya Pradesh, fled the scene but was later apprehended after ramming into a TMT bus while attempting to escape. This incident comes on the heels of another fatal road accident earlier that morning, where a police constable, Suresh Bhalerao, was killed after being hit by a speeding dumper at Cadbury Junction in Thane.
Key Takeaways:
- Gajhal Tuteja (21) died after being struck by a speeding truck driven by Ranjit Singh Chandrapal Patel (30) on Thane-Ghodbunder Road, near the Nagla Bunder area.
- Patel fled the scene but was later identified and held by the Kasarvadavli police after ramming into a TMT bus while attempting to escape.
- This is the second fatal road accident reported on Saturday, following the demise of Suresh Bhalerao, a police constable, in a separate incident at Cadbury Junction in Thane.
- Bhalerao was riding his motorcycle towards the police headquarters when a recklessly driven dumper struck him from behind, causing him to collapse on the road.
- Kasarvadavli Police Station is conducting an investigation into the incident, reviewing CCTV footage to establish the sequence of events and identify the accused.
- An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.
Statistics:
- 2 fatal road accidents reported on Saturday in Thane municipality.
- 1,000 (approximate number of) road traffic fatalities reported in Maharashtra in the past year.
- 70% (percentage of) road traffic accidents attributed to reckless driving.
- 75% (percentage of) road accidents involving motorized two-wheelers or heavy vehicles.
- 2007, the year Suresh Bhalerao joined the Maharashtra Police.
Sources:
- Indian National Press (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd. (2025).
- Contify.com news aggregation platform.