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Mumbai Lawyer Janhavi Gadkar Kills Two, Driving On Wrong Side Of Freeway Under Influence

Mumbai Lawyer Who Rammed Audi Into Taxi, Killing 2, Was So Drunk She Dozed Off At The Police Station
This is the view from close to the dashboard. This car was open to a few visitors to sit in, to get the feel of it.The crowd started to build up at this time, and a few got close to the car, so getting a clear shot was tough. Manual focus was used again.
arjun_mohan2000/Flickr
This is the view from close to the dashboard. This car was open to a few visitors to sit in, to get the feel of it.The crowd started to build up at this time, and a few got close to the car, so getting a clear shot was tough. Manual focus was used again.

NEW DELHI — For 16-year-old Numan Sabuwala, Monday started brilliantly--he had scored more than 90% in his class 10 public exams and the family was going to celebrate with a dinner. On their way back from the celebratory dinner, an Audi SUV, driven by a drunk lawyer on the wrong side of the freeway, rammed into the family's taxi, instantly killing his father.

Police said 35-year-old corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar was so drunk that she passed out at the police station and cops could only record her statement after six hours, according to this report in the Mumbai Mirror.

Police have arrested the lawyer, who was allegedly driving on the wrong lane of a major freeway, NDTV reported.

Wrong Side

Major drama unfolded on the Eastern Freeway late on Monday night as bikers gave chase to the car Gadkar was driving. She was driving on the wrong side of the freeway. She missed two bikers before she crashed her car into the taxi carrying a Bhendi Bazaar family returning from a party in Bhiwandi after celebrating the success of the youngest in the family, 16-year-old Numan Sabuwala, in the recently-declared SSC exams results.

Gadkar is senior vice-president (legal) with Reliance Industries.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar told NDTV that Gadkar admitted that she was in an inebriated state when the incident happened.

"The only thing she claims she remembers is getting onto the freeway," the Indian Express quoted Nishandar as saying.

Numan's father Samim and the taxi driver Sayed Husain were killed in the accident. The Mirror report stated that Numan's sisters Salma and Sabiya and their mother Nafisa were injured.

Airbags Saved Killer

The Audi’s airbags opened in time to save Gadkar who escaped with a few bruises.

Gadkar was on her way to her home in Chembur after a dinner with a colleague at the Hotel Marine Plaza on Marine Drive when the accident happened. The Express report said Gadkar was driving at over 120 kmph.

Gadkar graduated from the University of Warwick in England 2004 in international economic law and has worked with law firms like Wadia Ghandy & Co before joining Reliance, the report said.

Eyewitnesses were quoted by Mirror as saying that the taxi was so badly mangled that the fire-brigade had to bring in special equipment to cut open the vehicle to get the victims out.

"I was on my way home and witnessed the crash… The woman tried to offer money. She was wearing a white top and was probably in jeans… (she) was evidently drunk," the Express quoted eyewitness Hasan Khan as saying.

Gadkar has been booked under Section 304 (II) of the IPC for culpable homicide and faces a maximum of ten years in jail. She has also been charged under section 279 of IPC for rash and negligent driving.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.