BADLAPUR: A birthday celebration turned tragic when a speeding BMW crashed into a divider and overturned several times on the under-construction Mumbai-Delhi Expressway near Badlapur in the wee hours of Sunday, killing two youths and injuring their friend who was behind the wheel.The impact was so severe that the car was reduced to a mangled heap of metal, with its engine found nearly 30m away from the crash site. One of the victims was dismembered, while another was thrown nearly 30m away from the vehicle; she succumbed to her injuries shortly afterwards.Police are probing a social media post of one of deceased allegedly recorded moments before the crash of the BMW being driven at speeds of up to 251kmph. Investigators suspect reckless driving and possible stunt driving may have contributed to the incident.The deceased were identified as Yogesh Negi (26), a Badlapur (W) resident who was celebrating his birthday, and Rebecca Jacob (24), who lived in Bandra. The BMW owner, identified only as Badlapur resident Angad, suffered serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at Fortis Hospital in Kalyan. It is unclear whether the vehicle’s airbags deployed and helped him survive the devastating crash.According to police, on Saturday evening, the trio attended Negi’s birthday in Badlapur (W) before heading towards the expressway. Police recovered a bill of Rs 9,000 believed to be linked to the celebration.To prevent vehicle access to the underconstruction expressway, cement barricades have been placed at several locations. Police suspect that while travelling at high speed, the driver may have attempted to avoid one such concrete obstruction, lost control of the BMW, and slammed into the central divider. The impact reportedly caused the car to vault and come to rest between two divider sections.Senior police inspector Kishor Shinde said the exact sequence of events remains unclear as the driver’s statement has not yet been recorded. “We have come across a social media post suggesting that the vehicle was being driven at speeds of up to 251kmph before the accident. The authenticity of the video is still being verified. The driver’s statement will help establish the exact circumstances of the crash,” he said.Shinde added that the extensive damage to the BMW, the distance over which the vehicle parts were scattered and the condition in which the victims were found all indicate that the BMW was travelling at an extremely high speed at the time of the accident. Police have registered a case of accidental death for now.Eyewitnesses described horrifying scenes at the accident site. One witness said he was out for a walk at night, when he noticed the BMW speeding on the stretch between 2am and 3am. “The car passed us twice at an extremely high speed. During the third round, we heard a deafening crash. When we reached the spot, the vehicle was completely destroyed. A woman had been flung a considerable distance away and was struggling for life before she died,” he said.Another eyewitness, who rushed to the scene after hearing the impact, said: “We found an injured woman and man lying on the road. We immediately called an ambulance. Later, we noticed that the man’s head was torn open due to the force of the collision.”The accident has once again raised concerns over unauthorised entry onto the under-construction expressway. Although work on a substantial portion of the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway near Badlapur has been completed, the stretch has not yet been opened to the public because work remains pending on other sections of the corridor. The National Highways Authority has installed multiple warning boards along the route stating that the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway is under-construction and closed to public traffic and that any unauthorised entry is at the individual’s own risk. Despite repeated warnings, locals and motorists frequently enter the restricted stretch for leisure drives and racing.
