A 38-year-old traffic warden died in Mumbai after he plunged into the sea while chasing a tempo whose driver allegedly violated traffic rules on the Coastal Road on Saturday evening.
The deceased was identified as Rafiq Wazeer Shaikh, who was on duty on the Coastal Road.
According to police, when Shaikh spotted a tempo moving on the Coastal Road, he signalled the driver to stop as heavy vehicles are banned from using the road.
As the tempo driver fled without stopping, Shaikh started chasing him using his scooter.
However, police said, Shaikh’s scooter skidded and it rammed a concrete railing of the carriageway due to which he fell into the sea.
A passerby informed the police control room, and the fire brigade team reached the spot and rescued Shaikh from the sea.
Shaikh was rushed to the Nair hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
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The Gamdevi police registered a case of accidental death and are further investigating the matter.
A preliminary police inquiry indicates that the presence of sand on the patch of road where Shaikh was taking a turn could be the reason behind his vehicle skidding.
“We have registered an ADR, and after the postmortem, Shaikh’s body has been handed over to his family,” said a police officer from the Gamdevi police station.
Police are also scanning the CCTVs to get information on the tempo Shaikh was chasing.
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A police source said that the tempo driver will be penalised if it is found that he had violated rules.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
