"Was Engrossed In Her Phone": Eyewitness On Bandra Woman Who Mowed Down Boy

An eight-year-old boy was killed after being run over by a car in Mumbai's Bandra area on Sunday afternoon, police said. 

The child, identified as Ansh Ravindra Gupta, was crossing John Baptist Road opposite Jijamata Garden when he was struck by an Innova Crysta allegedly driven at excessive speed by a 45-year-old woman.

The driver, identified by police as Megha Rawal, a Bandra resident, has been arrested.

An eyewitness who watched the incident unfold from outside his shop has described said the driver appeared so engrossed in her phone that she did not immediately appear to realise what had happened.

"The woman driving the car was completely engrossed in her phone. She didn't even know what happened. At least she could have pressed the brakes after running him over with the front tyre. He might have survived," Shiva, the shopkeeper, told NDTV.

He said that, after the first impact, there was still an opportunity for the driver to stop the vehicle.

"She didn't stop and ran over the back tyre too. Although later she stopped, she didn't even step out of the car, and neither turned down her windows," Shiva said. 

The shopkeeper added that he immediately rushed towards the injured child with a bottle of water. He recalled that Ansh did not appear to have any visible blood on him, despite the severity of his injuries. The shopkeeper said the child had suffered internal ruptures.

People at the scene then put Ansh into the same car and rushed him to Holy Family Hospital, where doctors attempted to treat him.

Police said the boy had sustained severe injuries and was declared dead at the hospital.

Police have registered a case against Rawal under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Further investigation into the case is underway.