Palghar: Two persons were killed and one sustained serious injuries after a van transporting 20 silver plates worth crores crashed into the divider and collided with an incoming trailer near Charoti bridge in Kasa on Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway on Friday morning.
According to Kasa police, the accident occurred around 6:25 am, when the van was transporting the 600 kg silver consignment of a Mumbai-based bullion company to Vapi in Gujarat. The driver lost control of the vehicle causing it to ram into the divider on the Gujarat-bound lane, before veering onto the Mumbai-bound lane and crashing head-on into an incoming trailer truck.
While two occupants of the van — custodian Aakash Jadhav (27) and armguard Ramkrishna Tripathi (52) — died on the spot, the driver, Subhash Nikam (50), suffered injuries. Police sent Nikam to a government hospital and took the silver into custody.
Police said Nikam has been booked for causing death due to negligence, rash driving and grievously hurting individuals.
A senior officer from Kasa police station said: “We have the silver plates in our custody and have asked the firm for the relevant documents. Post screening, we will hand over the silver plates to the firm.”
The silver plates, each weighing approximately 30 kg, were being transported in a specially fitted van. The impact of the collision was so severe that the van was completely mangled, and the silver plates were scattered on the road. Local residents and passersby helped the police in securing the area and collecting the scattered silver. The trailer truck driver escaped with minor injuries and has been cooperating with the investigation.
The bullion company has been informed about the incident, and officials are expected to arrive at the police station to claim the consignment after verification. The Kasa police have registered a case under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by endangering life), and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway.
