City police detained the driver for questioning and seized the SUV that fatally knocked down 72-year-old yoga teacher Mangala Kewte at Barlinge Chowk in the Dharampeth area during her morning walk on Saturday.
According to the preliminary investigation, Kewte, a resident of Khare Town in Dharampeth, was walking along the left side of the road when stray dogs began barking loudly. Startled, she ran towards the road. At that moment, an Innova car, allegedly being driven at high speed by a man identified as Ashish Yadav, hit her, tossing her before running over her.
The incident has triggered anger among locals, who have long raised concerns about the presence of stray dogs on roads, especially during early morning hours. Several residents demanded strict action against reckless driving and measures to control the stray dog population in the area.
The SUV also struck a biker, identified as Pandey, near Bole Petrol Pump Square before fleeing the spot. Kewte was rushed to a hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Sitabuldi police, under the supervision of senior inspector Vittal Singh Rajput and sub-inspector Vinod Tiwari, traced the vehicle to Seoni using its registration number and CCTV footage and brought it back to Nagpur.
Police sources said the driver panicked after the accident and drove straight to Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, where he parked the vehicle and left.
Yadav appeared before Sitabuldi police on Sunday. The SUV is currently undergoing forensic examination to determine its speed and other technical details. The vehicle is registered in the name of Vijay Khandelwal from Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.
Senior police officials have assured a thorough investigation. The case is being treated as a hit-and-run, with possible charges of rash driving and causing death by negligence.
Yadav had reportedly driven Khandelwal’s daughter and son-in-law from Seoni to Nagpur for medical treatment. Senior Inspector Rajput said the police have summoned Khandelwal’s son-in-law and injured biker Pandey to verify Yadav’s identity. Notices have been issued to Yadav, asking him to appear again on Monday, and he will be arrested once his identity is conclusively established.
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