2 killed as teen speeding SUV hits two-wheelers in Kolhapur

Kolhapur: A man and his married daughter died on the spot, and four other two-wheeler riders were injured after a speeding SUV collided with three two-wheelers at Shahu Mill Chowk in Kolhapur's Rajarampuri area on Saturday at 4.30pm. The impact destroyed the two-wheelers, and the SUV hit the road divider and overturned.The deceased have been identified as Deepak Vanshe, 66, a resident of Dilbahar Talim area, and his daughter, advocate Bhagyashri Gawali, 27, a resident of Kasba Bawda.Kewal Naik, 23, a resident of Mangalwar Peth, and Dhananjay Karajgar, 44, a resident of Gujri, Kolhapur, sustained serious injuries, along with two other two-wheeler riders. The injured people are under treatment at private hospitals in the Rajarampuri and Hockey Stadium areas.According to the Rajarampuri police, a 19-year-old SUV driver was speeding on his way from Rajarampuri towards Kotitirth lake. At Rajarampuri Chowk, he hit two vehicles and an autorickshaw. When the autorickshaw driver tried to stop him, the SUV driver increased his speed and drove towards Shahu Mill Chowk. The enraged autorickshaw driver gave him a chase. As the car approached Shahu Mill Chowk at high speed, the driver lost control and collided head-on with three two-wheelers coming from the opposite direction.Due to the impact, the two-wheeler riders were flung into the air, and they landed on the side of the road, while the car hit the road divider and overturned. A commotion followed, and a large crowd gathered at the scene. People took the injured to CPR Hospital, where Deepak Vanshe and his daughter Bhagyashri were declared brought dead. The other injured people were shifted to a private hospital for further treatment.After the accident, angry residents pulled the car driver out of the vehicle, beat him up, and handed him over to the Rajarampuri police. Onlookers alleged that another minor boy was in the car, and he fled the scene.A team from Rajarampuri police station arrived at the spot after receiving information. Superintendent of police Yogeshkumar Gupta, deputy SP Priya Patil, and traffic branch inspector Nandkumar More also reached the spot, inspected the scene and ordered that a case be registered. The process of registering a case against the 19-year-old car driver was underway until late on Saturday night.DSP Priya Patil said, "Two people died, while two others were critically injured. The SUV driver was detained. The procedure to register a case is going on."