Mira Bhayandar: The Navghar police have arrested and booked the 37-year-old crane driver for causing the death of an elderly woman due to negligence and rash driving in Bhayandar on Wednesday evening.

According to police, the incident was reported near the Family Care Hospital located in the Indralok area of Bhayandar (east) at around 5:30 pm.

The deceased who has been identified as- Rajani Kanade (74) worked as a clerk and had retired from the BMC a few years ago. She stayed in the same locality where the incident occurred. As a part of her daily routine, the senior citizen was out for an evening stroll on the fateful day.

As she was crossing the road, the over speeding and rashly driven crane veered off-course on the turning and hit her from behind. The woman died on the spot as her head was smashed after coming under the wheel of the crane. The entire sequence of the unfortunate mishap was captured in the closed-circuit tele-vision (CCTV) cameras installed in the vicinity which went viral on various social media platforms.

The Navghar police arrested the crane driver identified as- Fassad Ali Naeem Shaikh (37)- a resident of Kashimira and registered an offence against him under sections 106(1) for causing death by negligence, 281 (rash driving on a public way) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS)-2023 and section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act which deals with dangerous driving.

Urging authorities to enforce stricter rules to rein in errant drivers of heavy transport vehicles including- especially those used for construction activities-who have scant regard for traffic rules posing a threat to pedestrians in residential areas. Meanwhile the accused has been remanded to custody as further investigations were underway.