Navi Mumbai: A family of three—a husband, wife, and their 10-year-old son—traveling on a two-wheeler lost their lives in an accident after their scooter collided with a tanker in Panvel's Kon village on Friday night. The Panvel Taluka Police have registered a case against the tanker driver and taken him into custody.
The victims have been identified as Shobhit Satish Saluja (41), his wife Shailaja Shobhit Saluja (33), and their son Ayaan (10). The family resided in Kamothe Sector-18 and owned a snack shop in the area.
The Truck
About The Case
On the occasion of Holi, the family had travelled to Khopoli on their Activa scooter in the afternoon. At around 10 pm, they were returning home when, at 11 pm, their scooter reached Golden Night Bar in Kon village on the old Mumbai-Pune highway. Suddenly, a tanker took a sharp turn in front of them, leading to a fatal collision.
Due to the high-speed, the scooter was dragged under the tanker, leaving all three critically injured. They were rushed to the hospital but succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
Following the accident, the tanker driver, Gahinath Kundalik Garje (44), fled the scene. However, the Panvel City Police tracked him down, registered a case, and took him into custody. “We are still investigating the family's purpose for traveling to Khopoli. We suspect they had gone for a Holi celebration,” said a police officer from Panvel Taluka police station.
Originally from Gujarat, the parents of the husband stayed at Kalamboli while the deceased resided at sector 18 in Kamothe and ran a shop in the area.
