The Kasara police has caught the driver of the trailer that had collided with an LPG tanker, causing it to explode, killing its driver. The driver had fled from the spot, but was finally caught after the police traced him through his cellphone tower location. He has been arrested for causing death due to rash and negligent driving under the IPC and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The accused, Parshuram Dadasaheb Bawne (21), was held by the Kasara police and brought to the police station on Wednesday afternoon, where he was formally placed under arrest. Bawne was driving the trailer that collided with the LPG tanker. The driver of the LPG tanker, Virendra Thakur, was killed in the subsequent explosion. “After the collision, Bawne got off his truck and went to the tanker. He saw the gas leaking and fled from the spot,” said API Vilas Shende from Kasara police station.
According to the eyewitness’ accounts, both the heavy vehicles were travelling in the same direction, with the trailer ahead of the tanker. “Bawne suddenly braked causing Thakur to hit him from the rear. Bawne, however, suffered minor injuries in the accident,” said an officer.
The tanker exploded after around 25 minutes, with the smoke and flames spreading up till 800 metres from the spot. “A Maruti Omni driver was heading towards the accident site. We tried to stop him, but he drove away, and later he was forced to get off after he was injured by the flames. He was treated at a local hospital,” said API Shende.