The Ahmedabad Nikol hit-and-run investigation has widened after police questioning reportedly revealed that a friend was allegedly inside the Toyota Fortuner when it struck a mother and her son on a footpath. Police are preparing to register a case against the friend under the Gujarat Prohibition Act and record his statement as a key eyewitness.
According to a report by Gujarat Samachar, the driver, identified as Viral Chaudhary, was not alone in the vehicle at the time of the crash. His friend, identified as Sagar, was allegedly travelling with him after the two had consumed beer at Sagar’s home and left to go out for a meal.
The report, citing details that emerged during police questioning, alleges that Chaudhary began drinking beer while driving. He is accused of losing control of the vehicle, which then mounted the footpath and hit the mother and son. The report says local people detained Chaudhary after the crash, while Sagar allegedly left the vehicle and fled amid the gathering crowd.
The reported presence of a second occupant has introduced a new legal and investigative dimension to the case. Police are preparing to name Sagar as a co-accused under the Prohibition Act because he allegedly consumed beer with Chaudhary and knew that alcohol was present in the vehicle without stopping him, the report said.
At the same time, investigators are expected to treat Sagar as a direct eyewitness because he was allegedly seated inside the Fortuner when the collision occurred. The I-Division traffic police are expected to record his statement. According to the report, his account could assist investigators in establishing who was driving the vehicle and whether the driver was consuming alcohol while the car was in motion.
The case highlights the immediate safety risks created when alcohol consumption and driving occur together on urban roads, particularly where footpaths are the only physical separation between moving vehicles and pedestrians. The reported collision took place in Nikol, an expanding Ahmedabad locality where residential streets and busy traffic corridors often operate close to pedestrian movement.
The latest development does not by itself establish criminal liability against Sagar or determine the final charges against either individual. Those questions will depend on the police investigation, recorded statements and evidence placed before the court. The reported next steps are the registration of the proposed case against Sagar and the recording of his eyewitness statement by the traffic police.
