Five men were killed on the spot, when their speeding Hyundai Santro rammed into a heavy vehicle, early on Monday in Thane.
The victims — all residents of Ambernath — were childhood school friends. They had not told their families about their destination and therefore, it is unclear where they were headed.
The Kalwa police has posthumously booked one of the deceased for causing death due to rash and negligent driving.
The car was being driven by Narendra Bukka (28). The others have been identified as Vinod Walmiki, Suresh Dahire, Prashant Kamble and Rohit Yengati, all of whom were agead around 25.
At around 4.30 am at the Khoregaon Toll Naka in Kalwa, their car, which was headed in the south-bound direction, collided with a stationary garbage truck — parked on the side — from the rear.
“Their car seems to have been travelling at a very high speed and suddenly lost control. The front half of the car was crushed and consequently lodged between the ground and the truck’s rear. After we were informed about the incident, we rushed to the spot with ambulances in tow. The car was completely mangled and we removed the bodies, which were taken to Thane Civil Hospital. The victims were declared dead before arrival,” said PSI P.T. Kale of the Kalwa police.
After preliminary inquiries with eyewitnesses, the police concluded that it was Bukka’s fault since he was driving rashly, causing the car to go out of control. “They had told their families that they were going for a stayover at a friend’s place, but did not specify where. It is unclear how they ended up near the tollbooth or where they were headed. However, it is possible that they decided to go for a joyride,” said an officer from the Kalwa police station.