Mumbai: 8-Year-Old Boy Dies After SUV Allegedly Runs Him Over in Bandra; Driver Arrested
Mumbai, Maharashtra | August 31, 2026 : An eight-year-old boy died in a tragic road accident in Mumbai’s Bandra area after he was allegedly struck and run over by a speeding SUV on Sunday afternoon. Police have arrested the 45-year-old woman who was driving the vehicle and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
According to the police, the incident took place on John Baptist Road, opposite Jijamata Garden, when the child was crossing the road. The SUV, identified as an Innova Crysta, allegedly hit the boy before running over him.
The child suffered critical injuries in the accident. He was rushed to Holy Family Hospital in an attempt to save his life, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Driver Allegedly Distracted by Phone Call
Police identified the driver as Megha Rawal, a Bandra resident. Preliminary investigation suggests that she was allegedly speaking on her mobile phone while driving and may have been distracted when the accident occurred.
A police official said the vehicle was allegedly being driven at excessive speed when it struck the child. Investigators are now examining the exact sequence of events, including the speed of the vehicle and the circumstances in which the boy was crossing the road.
The incident has once again highlighted the serious risks associated with distracted driving, particularly in busy residential and pedestrian areas of Mumbai.
Police Register Case Under BNS and Motor Vehicles Act
Following the accident, police registered a case against Rawal under several provisions of the law.
The charges include Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Section 281 for rash driving or riding on a public way, and Section 125 relating to acts that endanger the life or personal safety of others.
She has also been booked under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which deals with dangerous driving.
Police said further investigation is underway and that additional details will emerge as evidence is examined.
Tragedy Adds to Growing Concern Over Road Safety
The death of the young boy has once again brought attention to road safety and the dangers faced by pedestrians, especially children, on busy city roads.
Mumbai has a large volume of traffic throughout the day, and roads around residential neighbourhoods, schools, gardens and local markets often see pedestrians sharing limited road space with vehicles.
Experts and road-safety advocates have repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining safe speeds in populated areas and avoiding mobile-phone use while driving. Even a moment of distraction can have devastating consequences.
In this case, investigators will determine whether speeding and mobile-phone distraction played a direct role in the fatal crash.
Another Fatal Road Accident in Mumbai
The Bandra incident came amid another fatal road accident in Mumbai in which a 25-year-old woman died after the two-wheeler she was travelling on with her younger brother was allegedly hit by a cement mixer in Chembur.
The woman, Dhanashree Dongare, and her 20-year-old brother, Manas, were reportedly returning from Govandi after shopping for Raksha Bandhan when the accident occurred near Subhash Nagar, close to Muktanand High School.
Police said the siblings were travelling on their father’s two-wheeler when Manas noticed the approaching cement mixer and attempted to give way. The mixer allegedly struck the right side of the two-wheeler’s handlebar, causing the rider to lose control.
The impact threw Manas towards the footpath, while Dhanashree reportedly fell toward the cement mixer and came under its left front tyre.
The siblings were taken to Zen Hospital, but Dhanashree, who suffered serious head injuries, was declared dead.
Investigation Continues
In the Bandra case, police are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the eight-year-old’s death. The investigation is expected to establish the vehicle’s speed, the driver’s actions immediately before the collision and other factors surrounding the accident.
For the boy’s family, however, the investigation comes after an irreversible loss. What began as an ordinary afternoon ended with the death of a child, once again underscoring how dangerous distracted or reckless driving can be on city roads.
The case has also renewed calls for motorists to exercise greater caution, especially around areas where children and pedestrians are likely to be present.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
