Mumbai: 25-Year-Old Returning From Chhath Puja Killed by Speeding Bus Near Powai Plaza

In a tragic incident on Monday night, a 25-year-old man was killed in a road accident near Powai Plaza, shortly after returning from Chhath Puja celebrations with his family.

The victim has been identified as Rahul Vivekama. He was riding pillion with his sister on a scooter when a speeding private travel bus hit them from behind, dragging him under its front wheel.

The accident occurred around 8:15 p.m. on the Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR). Bystanders alerted the police after the bus driver fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle.

According to Powai police, the victim and his family, residents of Wadala East, had gone to Pawarwadi Ghat to perform Chhath Puja rituals. After the conclusion of the ceremony, Rahul’s parents and twin brother left separately, while Rahul and his sister Diya followed on their scooter. When the siblings neared the Powai Plaza signal, a white-and-blue private bus allegedly approached at high speed. The driver was reportedly driving recklessly and dangerously close to the two-wheeler. Diya lost balance and fell to the side of the road, while Rahul was thrown forward and came directly under the bus’s front wheel, police said.

Rahul was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, but due to severe head injuries, doctors declared him dead before admission.

Police have registered a case under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act and Sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for rash and negligent driving resulting in death.

Rahul worked for a private firm, while his father drives a tempo and his elder brother is employed at a hotel in Dadar.

To trace the absconding driver, police are scanning CCTV footage and vehicle registration records.