Cop dies in hit & run on daughter’s birthday

A motorcycle-borne traffic constable, Atul Ghagare, attached with Rabale police, was mowed down by an unknown vehicle early on Friday near Taloja. The unidentified accused hit Ghagare who was on his way back to the police station, after attending a traffic jam call, and fled the crime scene. Ghagare succumbed to injuries and died before he could be rushed to hospital. Ghagare’s wife is a woman police constable attached to Rabale MIDC police station. Ghagare and his wife had planned to take an early shift so that they could both leave early to celebrate their daughter’s birthday on Wednesday. Before the family could celebrate, the accident snatched away the little girl’s father on her birthday.

Early on Wednesday, at 2.15 am, Ghagare had received a distress call of a traffic jam at Taloja MIDC area. Ghagare, who was the constable on night duty,

immediately left Rabale police station with his motorcycle to attend the distress call. After clearing the traffic, Ghagare was on his way back to Rabale when he was hit by an unidentified four-wheeler driver. Ghagare sustained injuries in the accident but instead of helping him, the unidentified driver fled from the spot. Motorists present at the spot rushed Ghagare to the nearest hospital and informed police about the incident but Ghagare succumbed to his injuries.

Taloja police have booked the unidentified driver under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and a search operation is underway. A senior police official said, “We have registered a case of rash driving and causing death due to negligence against the driver and are scouring CCTV footage to identify him.”

A source revealed that there are no CCTV cameras at the site where the incident took place but police are checking CCTV footage of a traffic post which is a few hundred meters away from the spot.