Man killed, another injured as unidentified vehicle hits pilgrims on Mumbai-Nashik highway

A 23-year-old man was killed and another sustained injury after an unidentified vehicle rammed into a group of pilgrims heading to Shirdi on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway, police said on Friday.

The accident occurred near Vafe village in Shahpur taluka in the early hours of Thursday when the pilgrims were walking with a palanquin to the Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi, an official said.

The pilgrims had started their ‘padyatra’ from Virar on November 25, he said.

“The group was walking in a disciplined manner when a vehicle hit two persons and sped away. We are examining the CCTV footage from the area to identify and trace the vehicle,” an official from Shahapur police station said.

One of the devotees, Om Shashikant Shinde, was killed on the spot, while Bashir Sheikh (20) sustained injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at the Shahapur sub-district hospital, he said.

A probe is underway into the hit-and-run incident, the official said.