Two alert foreign nationals help nab cabbie, who fled from the scene
Two alert foreign nationals help nab cabbie, who fled from the scene
When 70-year-old Anwar Usuf Siddique stopped his two-wheeler to answer a phone call, little did he realize that it would be the last thing he would do. He was run over by a speeding cab at 12.15 am on Kondhwa Road last night. The taxi driver who had fled the spot, was later nabbed by two alert foreign nationals. Eyewitnesses rushed him to nearby Satyanand Hospital, but it was too late.
A resident of Talab Farm Road, Siddique was headed for Kondhwa Khurd when he received the call. According to Imtiyaz Sheikh, an eyewitness, Siddique stopped near Konark Puram to take the call, but a speeding cab knocked him down, dragging his bike some 20 feet. Siddique sustained severe head injuries and was taken to Satyanand Hospital nearby, where he was declared dead on arrival.
According to eyewitnesses, two foreign nationals who witnessed the incident nabbed the cabbie, Santosh Patole, as he returned on the same route after dropping off three techies in Kondhwa. They chased the driver and made him stop by blocking his way, and removing the ignition key.
Wrong driver held?
Patole expressed innocence and said that he was being implicated falsely. According to police the vehicle driven by Patole had scratch marks on the dashboard. "I was just dropping passengers to Kondhwa. The two foreigners intercepted me near the petrol pump, and snatched away the ignition key. I don't know anything else," Patole said.
Patole was taken to the Kausarbaug police chowky to record his statement.
"The driver's involvement will only be confirmed after inquiry," PSI S A Khedekar told MiD DAY. "We can't say for now if Patole was the one who knocked Siddique down. We need to verify all the details before proceeding," he added.
This reporter tried to contact the two foreign nationals, but they had not returned to their hotel at the time of going to press.
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