Mumbai: A 14-year-old boy allegedly driving a speeding water tanker lost control and hit a parked SUV before crashing into a residential building’s boundary wall on Mahakali Road in Andheri East early on Sunday. No pedestrian was hit. Police have served notices on the minor and his cousin brother Durgesh Pathak (20) after they were charged with negligent and rash driving and under the Motor Vehicles Act for allowing the minor to drive the vehicle.The tanker has been impounded and police are searching for its owner. MIDC police registered a case against Pathak, the minor’s cousin, and the tanker owner. Police said Durgesh had allegedly allowed the minor to drive the tempo-tanker despite knowing his age. Investigators are examining how the boy gained access to the vehicle and fixing responsibility for the crash.The incident occurred near Malvani Dhaba at 4.30 am on Sunday when Pathak stopped the tanker to have tea at a roadside hotel and the minor drove the tanker recklessly and at high speed, endangering himself and others. “The tanker first struck a golden Volkswagen Taigun belonging to hotelier Chandrakesh alias Nattu Harishankar Gupta (45), causing extensive damage, before hitting the compound wall of a residential building,” said a police officer of the MIDC police station.The collision was captured by local CCTV cameras, and footage circulated widely on social media went viral. Police are reviewing the footage to establish the sequence of events. Police learnt about the incident at about 5.30 am after locals were informed. “Luckily, no one was injured nor the minor who was at the wheels. He was captured in the CCTV getting out of the truck after the incident,” said a police officer.
