Mumbai: A man allegedly stole the gold jewellery of a woman fatally injured in the recent BEST bus accident in Mumbai, police said on Thursday. The theft took place under the guise of helping the victim, who was one of seven people killed in the incident.
A viral video showed the man telling bystanders that he was taking the woman's jewellery for safekeeping and would inform her relatives. However, after her family filed a complaint, the police registered a theft case against the unidentified person.
The victim, 55-year-old Fatima Kaniz Ansari, was among the seven individuals killed when a speeding BEST bus mowed down pedestrians in the Kurla area on Monday. Ansari, a hospital attendant, was waiting outside a building on SG Barve Marg when the out-of-control bus struck her. She was later found trapped under a car.
According to authorities, while the man pretended to help the injured woman, he took her gold bangles and mobile phone. Her family claimed the bangles were stolen after her death, although her mobile phone was returned. Based on the family’s complaint, the police have filed a case of theft and dishonest misappropriation of property under sections 303 and 315 of the Indian Penal Code.
The tragic incident occurred around 9:30 pm on Monday when the electric bus, operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, lost control and rammed into pedestrians and vehicles on SG Barve Marg in Kurla (West). In addition to the fatalities, 42 people were injured, including four police officers on duty. The crash also caused extensive damage, wrecking 22 vehicles.
The driver of the bus has been arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the police confirmed. The investigation into the theft and the accident is ongoing.
With PTI inputs