Thane, February 9 A retired assistant police commissioner, allegedly driving under the influence, crashed his speeding car into a tempo on the roadside, causing panic among locals in Navi Mumbai, officials said on Monday.
A case has been registered against the 58-year-old retired police officer in connection with the accident that occurred at Karave village in the Seawoods West area on Saturday evening, an official said.
Although no one was seriously injured in the accident, residents and motorists were left in a state of panic, he said.
Arun Baban Pokharkar, a former ACP with the Mumbai police, was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into a tempo parked on the roadside, he said.
Local residents managed to stop the car, drag the driver out of the vehicle, and detain him until the police arrived, he said.
Videos of the incident, shot by bystanders on their mobile phones, have gone viral on social media.
The police team searched the car and found an identity card and a police nameplate, confirming Pokharkar's identity as a retired police officer, the official said.
Pokharkar served as a senior police inspector at the Yellowgate Police Station in Mumbai and was promoted to ACP just before his retirement, police said.
"During preliminary inquiry and medical examination, the accused was found to be under the influence of alcohol," senior inspector Devendra Pol of the NRI police station said.
A case has been registered under sections 281 (reckless driving), 125 (endangering life or personal safety) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Motor Vehicle Act, he said.
After completing the necessary formalities, the accused was allowed to go home, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway.