An elderly husband-wife couple was killed after a speeding Xylo knocked them down on western express highway in Malad east early on Wednesday. The couple was from Gadhada city, Gujarat and had plans to visit Shirdi with their extended family living in Malad (east).
At 6 am, Harendra Rajpura (62), a retired employee of the Gujarat Electricity Board and his wife Bhavna (47) arrived from Gujarat. They got off a private bus and were crossing the WEH’s south-bound stretch to get a rickshaw when the Xylo hit them near Virwani bus stop in front of Westin hotel. Both were carrying luggage in hand and a speeding bus applied brakes after seeing them. They went ahead of the bus and a speeding Xylo hit them. “There was a lot of fog on the road,” said inspector Girish Anavarkar. Bhavna died of head injuries on the spot and Harendra died of head injuries during treatment in Sanjeevani hospital.
The driver of the Xylo, Nishad Vasani (51), was going to Panchgani with his family to meet his son. His two daughters and wife were seated with him. He was not drunk. He was arrested for causing death due to negligence and a magistrate’s court released him on bail. Bhavna’s brother Ritesh Kukadiya (33) lives in KD Heights in Malad east and they were to go to Shirdi after two days.
