Panaji: The police on Wednesday said that the Mahindra Thar involved in the death of Bhagat Ram Sharma, 65, a tourist from Bhopal, on Monday at Assagao, was driven by 19-year-old BBA student and resident of south west Delhi, Shaurya Goyal.Anjuna PI Suraj Gawas said Goyal was arrested and subsequently released on bail. While some eyewitnesses claimed that a young woman was driving the Thar, police have denied this. “During the investigation, nobody told us that a young girl was driving the Thar at the time of the accident. If anyone saw a girl driving instead of a boy, they can approach Anjuna police and provide the information,” PI Gawas said, adding that CCTV footage “clearly shows” Goyal at the wheel.Police said both Sharma’s family and Goyal’s group arrived in Goa on Feb 21, staying in the Calangute area and Assagao, respectively.Police said the Thar was allegedly driven in a rash and negligent manner by Goyal, who was holidaying in Goa with four girl students. The collision occurred around 5.50pm at a junction near Happy Bar, Assagao, when Goyal was driving from Mapusa towards Anjuna and reportedly lost control of the vehicle, crashing into a Hyundai i20 heading from Assagao towards Parra.The i20 was driven by Sharma, who was rushed to the District Hospital in Mapusa, where doctors declared him brought dead. His wife, 59-year-old Leela Sharma, sustained a leg fracture and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mapusa. A three-month-old infant in the same car suffered only minor injuries. In all, six occupants, including the infant, were travelling with Sharma.Based on a complaint and preliminary investigation, Anjuna police registered an FIR against Goyal for causing death by negligence and rash driving. He was arrested and later released on bail, Anjuna PI Suraj Gawas said.A medical examination conducted on Goyal ruled out alcohol consumption at the time of the accident, according to police. A postmortem examination was carried out on Sharma’s body at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, and the body has been preserved.The investigation is being handled by PSI Saish Kinlekar.
