The driver accused of dragging a police constable on a car bonnet for around 100 metres during a vehicle check in Kalamboli has been arrested in Jalgaon, while his alleged accomplice was held in Parner, Ahilyanagar district, five days after the incident. Both were produced before the Panvel court, which remanded them to police custody for two days.
The incident took place around 1.30 am on November 8 at a road junction near D-Mart on an internal road in Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai. Police said the constable, Dilip Bhoi, 43, was part of a team conducting routine nakabandi checking when the car driver and his friend allegedly drove away with Bhoi on the bonnet.
Bhoi was injured during the incident. He was initially taken to Satyam Multi-speciality Hospital in Kalamboli, where doctors found that his right heel had been fractured. Since he lived in Koparkhairane, he was later shifted to MGM Hospital in Vashi. His heel was plastered and he was discharged after an orthopaedic surgeon said it could recover with plaster and follow-up treatment, although surgery could be required if necessary.
Dilip Chavan, police inspector in the crime branch, identified the arrested driver as Soham Kumawat, 22, of Jalgaon, and his alleged aide as Swajal Tayade, 23, of Parner in Ahilyanagar district. Two separate police teams were formed to trace the vehicle and its occupants.
According to Chavan, the CCTV camera at the incident location did not have night-vision capability, and the vehicle’s registration number could not be captured there. Investigators then examined footage along the route on which the car allegedly fled. A clear image of the registration number was obtained from CCTV footage at Pallavi Avida hotel in Roadpali, Kalamboli.
Chavan said reports that the car had been fitted with a fake registration plate were checked with the relevant Regional Transport Office and found to be incorrect. The vehicle was registered in the name of Kumawat’s father, police said. Investigators used the registration details to locate Kumawat in Jalgaon. Police said Kumawat then disclosed Tayade’s name and address, leading to the second arrest in Parner.
An attempt to murder case was registered against the unidentified driver and his aide as a co-accused, Chavan said. After obtaining transit remand, police brought both accused before the Panvel court on Saturday. Their two-day police custody will allow investigators to continue questioning them and examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault during the roadside vehicle check.
