Mumbai: A 34-year-old woman seated on the pillion of a bike was killed after a 70-year-old man crashed his car into it and three autos at a traffic signal in Malad West on Sunday night. Six others were injured.Police arrested the motorist, Krishna Chamankar, who claimed he accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brakes. Charges of rash driving, negligence and dangerous driving have been invoked against him. A medical test at a govt hospital showed no alcohol content in his blood, said police. Chamankar was produced before a magistrate court on Monday, which remanded him in judicial custody.The woman, Priyanka Satra, was a law graduate and mother of two. Her husband, Mayank, a businessman who was riding the bike, suffered fractures and injuries to his back and was hospitalised.According to Mayank’s brother, Manthan, the couple had left their Malad home to buy vegetables nearby. “On their way back home around 8pm, they were waiting at Mamlatdarwadi-SV Road junction’s traffic signal when the car hurtled towards them,” he said. The impact threw the two off the bike. A large crowd gathered, which alerted Malad police and a team was sent to the spot.Chamankar told police that he was driving from Malad subway towards S V Road when he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. “The car also hit three autos, injuring their drivers—Subhedar Chandra Gautam (50), Ramkesh Rajbhar (35) and Abdul Rehman Shaikh (25). A passenger in one of the autos, Zaitun Bi Imam (48), suffered serious head injuries. Another passenger has also been injured. They were all moved to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital,” said a police official.Late on Sunday, furious relatives of the Satras stormed Malad police station to demand that serious charges be applied against Chamankar. “There wasn’t a hint of remorse on his face, nor did he offer an apology,” said Manthan.Corporator Pravin Chheda said, “We learnt that the accused was allowed to use his phone while being lodged in police custody and was moved to an air-conditioned room at the police station for a while. I have written to the police commissioner demanding a thorough inquiry.”On Monday afternoon, neighbours and relatives tried to hold back tears as Priyanka’s final journey began. An injured Mayank was brought from the hospital in an ambulance to bid his wife a final farewell, before being driven back. “The couple has a son and daughter, both under 10 years. They are too little to comprehend what has happened,” said a close relative.Activist Anjali Damania said Chamankar is one of the partners of K S Chamankar Enterprises, who were appointed as developers for a New Maharashtra Sadan guesthouse in Delhi and against whom ED had registered a money laundering case in 2016. In 2025, Bombay HC quashed the case.
