Ola driver beaten to death for overtaking

Road rage was a Delhi thing, but it seems to be alive and kicking in Mumbai, too. On Monday evening, an Ola cab driver was beaten to death at Govandi. His crime: He had brushed past an Activa scooter on which the three accused were seated. The Shivaji Nagar police have arrested the latter.

The incident occurred on Monday at 6:45 p.m. bang opposite Bombay City hospital in Shivaji Nagar. The Ola driver, Salim Gulam Shaikh (38), had dropped his passengers at Sion and was on his way home in Govandi. Shaikh accidentally brushed past the Activa scooter on which the three accused -- Imran alias Imo Shaikh (19), Abdul Wahab alias Bhondu Abdul Rahim Shaikh (21) and the absconding accused, Wajid Ali (23), -- were seated. Imran was at the wheel while the other two were riding pillion. Salim had earlier tried to overtake the scooter near Rizviya mosque.

When the Ola brushed past their scooter, Imran lost his balance and nearly fell; the three accused were livid and began abusing Salim, grabbed his collar and dragged him out of the cab. They repeatedly kicked and punched him. When Salim began to bleed and collapsed on the road, the three accused fled from the spot.

The locals, who had witnessed the fight, called the police control room and rushed Salim to Rajawadi hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He succumbed to head injuries.

Later, the police registered an FIR against the three men and used the CCTV footage to zero in on them. According to Deepak Pagare, Senior Police Inspector, Shivaji Nagar police station, “We have arrested two of the three accused. We have also seized the scooter (MH-03-CL-4994). A team has been dispatched to arrest Wajid Ali. The eye-witnesses identified the accused and their statements have been recorded.”

The deceased Salim had been working as a driver for the past ten months. He is survived by his wife and two children, including an eight-month-old infant. He is a resident of Govandi. The accused, Imran and Abdul, are residents of Padma Nagar at Baiganwadi. The wanted accused Wajid is also a resident of Govandi.