Tardeo resident Sumer Merchant, accused of moving down jogger Rajalakshmi Vijay in his speeding car at Worli Sea face in the early hours of March 19, was under the influence of alcohol when the incident took place, his blood test report has found.
Mumbai police have informed the local court about the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory’s report and have added Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs) against Merchant, as per Times of India.
Merchant had earlier been booked under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Merchant (23) is currently in judicial custody and has applied for bail. His plea is likely to be heard on Monday.
In his police statements earlier, Merchant had repeatedly said that he was sleep deprived and jet-lagged after returning from the US, where he had gone for work purposes and had returned three days before the accident, as per Free Press Journal. The night before the mishap, he claimed to have partied with his friends through the night.
On March 19, around 6.30 am, Rajalakshmi, the CEO of Altruist Technologies, was jogging along Worli sea face when the car allegedly hit her, killing her on the spot.
Eyewitnesses told police that the impact was so severe that Rajlakshmi was flung on the bonnet as the car sped on further 10-15ft and crashed into a road divider, reported Times of India. She was flung several feet into the air in the crash and landed on the road, causing her death due to serious head injuries.
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