29-05-2025
Enraged cabbie carries fellow driver on speeding car's bonnet for 6km
MUMBAI: A cab driver allegedly carried another cab driver precariously on the bonnet of his Ertiga for nearly six kilometres on Tuesday night following a heated argument at the domestic airport over a parking dispute. Although the accused driver, 24-year-old Bhimprasad Mahato, was speeding, the other driver on his vehicle's bonnet held on dearly and escaped without any injuries till traffic police stopped the car in Jogeshwari.
According to the police, Mahato is a resident of Vartak Nagar in Thane. On Tuesday night, he had an altercation with another cab driver over a parking dispute at the domestic airport. Others who were present at the spot intervened and dispersed the duo. But some time later, Mahto blocked the way of the other driver while taking his car out from the parking bay. This angered one of the drivers who had intervened earlier – he tried to stop Mahato, first by talking to him, and when he refused to pay heed, by climbing onto the bonnet of his car.
'Mahato did not stop his car even after the other driver climbed onto the bonnet. Instead, he sped out of the airport,' said a police officer aware of the matter.
Two persons who had intervened earlier in Mahato's fight with the cab driver borrowed a bike and followed the Ertiga as they feared there could be an accident. The bike-borne duo soon caught up with Mahato's car, with the other driver perched on the bonnet, and urged him to stop. The pillion rider also filmed the speeding vehicle on his mobile phone. Yet, Mahato did not stop and continued driving on the Western Express Highway till Jogeshwari, where the bike-borne duo and traffic cops managed to bring the vehicle to a halt.
'Both Mahato and the victim were taken to the Airport police station for further legal action,' said the officer quoted earlier.
Mahato was booked under sections 281, 125, 126 (2), 115(2), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with section 184 (rash driving and voluntarily causing hurt) of the Motors Vehicles Act, based on a complaint by one of the drivers who intervened in the fight. He was questioned by the police and released after being served a notice under section 35 (3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
'We have released the accused driver after questioning him and serving a notice. He will be called to the police station again for inquiry,' said the officer.
