Pune: Teen Driver Arrested After Drunk Driving Rampage Damaging Five Vehicles in Baner-Pashan
Pune, December 08, 2024: In a shocking incident in Pune, a 19-year-old man, Hrutik Sham Bansode, was arrested following a high-speed rampage that damaged five vehicles and left two individuals with minor injuries. The incident occurred between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM on Thursday, spanning from Nanaware Chowk in Baner to Shivshakti Chowk on the Sus Road in Pashan.
According to police, Bansode, employed as a caregiver for an elderly resident in Baner, consumed alcohol at his accommodation before taking out the MG Gloster SUV under his care to purchase milk. The situation spiraled out of control when he first collided with a school bus near Nanaware Chowk, drawing an angry crowd. As stones were pelted at the SUV, Bansode reversed at high speed, drove on the wrong side of the road, and continued crashing into four more vehicles, including a compact SUV near Shivshakti Chowk.
The rampage concluded when the SUV struck a median and overturned, bringing the chaos to an abrupt halt. Occupants of the compact SUV, businessman Pushkar Patil (40) and his 10-year-old daughter, sustained minor injuries in the series of collisions. Their vehicle was among those extensively damaged.
Witnesses chased Bansode on two-wheelers as he attempted to flee the scene. Alerted by bystanders, a police patrol team apprehended him after a brief chase. The SUV, owned by a businessman who employed Bansode, was impounded along with the compact SUV for inspection by the Regional Transport Office (RTO). A medical examination at Sassoon General Hospital confirmed that Bansode was under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
The Baner Police registered an FIR, charging Bansode under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 110 for attempted culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act for drunk driving. Police Sub-Inspector Avinash Karad, leading the investigation, revealed that Bansode lost control of the SUV, causing the devastating collisions.
During his presentation before Judicial Magistrate First Class Amol Shinde on Friday, the court granted police custody of Bansode until December 7. Assistant Public Prosecutor Vishal Muralikar emphasized the need for custodial interrogation to establish the full sequence of events and verify the SUV’s ownership and documentation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Himmat Jadhav described the collisions as occurring with “very high intensity,” leaving vehicles badly damaged and rendering the SUV’s front portion beyond repair. The investigation continues as police scrutinize circumstantial evidence and question relevant parties.
