Thane: A Bhandup-based banker couple died after a container truck hit their motorcycle near the Kharegaon exit on the Mumbai-Nashik highway on Saturday morning, police said. The accident occurred around 7.30 am when the couple was returning from Dombivli after visiting an ailing relative.The victims, identified as Kalpesh Rewale and his wife Meenakshi, both employed with private banks, were travelling towards Mumbai when the truck, headed in the direction of JNPT and probably wanting to take the Kharegaon exit, struck their motorcycle. According to the police, the impact caused the couple to lose balance and fall onto the road, where they were run over by the vehicle. Investigating officer API Ratnaji Gaikwad of Kalwa police station, based on initial probe, said the couple visited their relative late Friday who was admitted to a Dombivli hospital and possibly decided to return home early the next day and report to work. They were rushed to a government hospital but were declared dead on arrival. “We haven’t broken the news of their death to their elderly parents yet and will be conducting the final rites at our native place in Ratnagiri,” said Aniket, a relative of the Rewales. Meanwhile, locals apprehended the truck driver and handed him over to the Kalwa police. Preliminary probe hints that the victims could have been in the truck’s blind spot as it attempted to turn left near a diversion. The police said statements of eyewitnesses were being recorded and CCTV footage from the toll plaza was also sourced to get a clear picture. This is the second fatal accident reported on the stretch in recent days. On April 14, a 26-year-old driver was killed and four IT professionals were injured after their car crashed into a stationary trailer near the Kharegaon toll naka. The incidents have raised fresh concerns over safety on the busy corridor, which is witnessing a corridor expansion, particularly for two-wheeler riders navigating heavy vehicular traffic. The Mumbai-Nashik highway, currently being expanded to 12 lanes, serves as a key link between Mumbai, Thane and North Maharashtra, and connects to the Samruddhi Expressway.
