NEW DELHI: The Lamborghini Huracan crash in Noida on Sunday has once again put the spotlight on the dangerous trend of reckless driving involving high-end luxury cars on Indian roads.
Two construction workers were injured when the Lamborghini veered onto the pavement near an under-construction building in Sector-94, Noida.
The driver, Deepak Kumar, a luxury car dealer from Ajmer, was arrested for rash driving and causing harm after crashing a Lamborghini during a test drive in Noida. The vehicle is owned by YouTuber Mridul.
Kumar secured bail on Monday after posting a bond of Rs 25,000.
The Noida incident is not an isolated case. Across cities like Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad, high-end luxury cars are turning public roads into racing tracks, with deadly consequences.
Nagpur Mercedes crash
In September 2024, a speeding Mercedes driven by Sanket Bawankule, the son of BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, was in the Audi Q8 that caused a crash, injuring two scooterists in the city center. The vehicle rammed into three cars before being chased and intercepted 6 km away on the Sadar-Mankapur flyover.
However, Sanket reportedly slipped out of the car during the chase, leaving his friends Arjun Haore and Ronit Chintamwar behind. The two were mobbed, beaten, and abducted, with Haore’s live location alerting his wife, who informed her father-in-law about the assault and kidnapping.
Haore’s father arrived at Timki, near Mominpura, where he found his son and Chintamwar being attacked and held captive. After alerting the police, a team rescued the duo and rushed them to Mayo Hospital, where they were found to be intoxicated.
Mumbai BMW crash
In Mumbai, a BMW turned into a death machine one July night when Mihir Shah, the son of a Shiv Sena leader, mowed down a two-wheeler, crushing 1 persons to death.
Instead of stopping, he sped away, evading police for days.
He was arrested on July 9 in Virar after a two days manhunt, aided by mobile tracking.
The car belonged to his father, a prominent Shinde Sena figure.
A 716-page chargesheet filed in October.
The Bombay high court rejected Mihir’s plea for release in November, upholding his arrest despite procedural challenges.
Pune Porsche Taycan crash
A 17-year-old, intoxicated and driving a Porsche Taycan at 150 kmph, crashed into two IT professionals on a bike, killing them instantly.
Before the crash, the minor and friends racked up a Rs 48,000 bill at two pubs. Despite CCTV evidence of alcohol consumption, the Juvenile Justice Board initially granted bail with a minimal punishment of 300-word road safety essay. Public outrage led to a reversal of this decision, with the teen placed in an observation home.
The case escalated when reports revealed the teen’s blood sample was swapped with his mother’s, resulting in the arrest of his parents.
A 900-page chargesheet filed in July.
Ahmedabad Audi Q7 crash
A 41-year-old businessman, Ripal Panchal, caused a chain of crashes on Bopal-Ambli Road in Ahmedabad, colliding with six vehicles and injuring one person.
The accident, which occurred when Panchal’s Audi Q7 hit several vehicles, narrowly missed five others.
Police confirmed that Panchal was drunk at the time of the incident, with CCTV footage showing him smoking a cigarette and lying on the road in an inebriated state. Panchal, who runs a stainless-steel ball valve unit in Gandhinagar, had been caught for drunk driving previously in September.
