Christmas holiday celebration turned into a tragedy for five friends when their speeding car, driven under the influence of alcohol, overturned on the Western Express Highway here killing one of them, police said today.
The mishap took place early this morning in suburban Vile Parle. Lalnunthari Samathe, a 22-year-old woman hailing from Manipur, died while others escaped with minor injuries.
Prima facie, it appeared that all of them were drunk at the time of the accident, police added.
Pradeep Shah (30), who was in the driver's seat and who ran away from the accident spot, was arrested this morning from his house in suburban Borivali on the charge of rash and negligent driving causing death.
Vile Parle police said the five friends visited a pub in Bandra last night. "They partied and consumed alcohol. The accident happened when they were returning, at around 2 am. Shah lost control of the vehicle after overtaking a truck near Ramnagar subway and rammed into a divider before banging into a concrete wall, causing the car to overturn," said senior inspector Raksha Maharao.
Scared that he might be thrashed by onlookers, Shah fled from the spot, police said.
Lalnunthari, who worked at a spa in Bandra and lived in Santacruz area, was sitting next to Shah. She was rushed to a nearby government hospital where she was declared dead, said Maharao.
"The injured persons claimed that they had alcohol in the pub. Shah's blood samples have been taken for medical examination," the officer said.
