Nagpur: With 327 deaths from hit-and-run cases in 2024, Nagpur emerged third in the list of cities with most such fatalities as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). With 1,300 CCTV cameras across the city lying non-operational, affecting enforcement and investigations, 24 persons have been killed in hit-and-run cases in just four months of 2026, with cops having no clues about the killer drivers and vehicles.In recent years, two high-profile hit-and-run accidents have rocked the city. In February 2024, the Ritika Maloo Ram Jhula hit-and-run case triggered citywide outrage when a car allegedly driven recklessly killed two people.More recently, in April 2026, the death of 72-year-old yoga teacher, Mangala Kewte, in Dharampeth left residents stunned. While on her morning walk, Kewte was hit by a speeding SUV that initially fled the spot. The driver was later arrested.According to the latest NCRB 2024 data, the city witnessed a sharp 18% rise in hit-and-run deaths, up from 277 in 2023. Nagpur trails only Delhi (642 cases) and Patna (332 cases), but has overtaken metros such Mumbai (190), Pune (121), Bengaluru (204) and Hyderabad (227). These figures fall under the category of “causing death by negligence relating to road accidents — hit and run,” where drivers flee the scene after fatal crashes without helping the victims or informing the authorities.Traffic Department data shows that in 2025, Nagpur recorded 312 hit-and-run accidents in which 96 people lost their lives and 274 sustained injuries. In the ongoing year 2026, 86 such cases have already been reported so far, claiming 24 lives and leaving 79 persons injured.Road safety activists and citizens argue that the city’s poor surveillance system is aggravating the problem. More than 1,300 CCTV cameras are currently non-functional — nearly 600 are offline, over 150 have been dismantled or are faulty, and the rest are out of service due to technical and maintenance issues. In multiple hit-and-run investigations, police have faced serious delays in tracing offenders due to the absence of usable footage, allowing many drivers to evade immediate arrest.With rash driving, overspeeding and weak traffic discipline emerging as major concerns, residents are demanding urgent corrective measures and fully functional CCTVs.
