A late night drive for five college students turned tragic after the 18-year-old behind the wheel lost control over the car and rammed it into a cocunut vendor in Juhu, killing him instantly. The vendor was sleeping in the stall at the time of the incident.

The accident took place at around 5.30am on Saturday when the Volkswagen Vento was travelling from Juhu Tara Road to Santa Cruz. The accused Rishabh Manoj Juneja is a FYBcom student from a Juhu college, he allegedly lost control while taking a turn and rammed into a stall where a coconut water vendor was asleep, killing him instantly.

According to the police, Juneja, a resident of JVPD Scheme is the son of a businessman. They also said that Juneja was speeding when he lost control of the vehicle. The deceased, Mehfuz Mohamed Rashid (50), owned the shop which he operated in the day and slept in at night.

Local residents nabbed the driver after the accident and informed the Santa Cruz police about the incident. Police said, Rashid had sustained grievous injuries to his head. He was rushed to Cooper Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Occupants of the car, three of whom were college girls, sustained minor bruises.

The accused told the police that he took the turn at high speed and lost control. “Juneja has been arrested for rash and negligent driving, causing death due to negligence under the Indian Penal Code. He was sent for a blood alcohol test which came negative,” said senior inspector, Arun Chavan, of Santa Cruz police station.