Cyrus Mistry car crash: Anahita Pundole habitual 'speedster'; charge sheet to be filed soon

Palghar (Maharashtra): The Palghar police will file its charge sheet in the accidental death case of industrialist Cyrus P. Mistry and his friend in a grisly car crash in early-September, before a local court this week, even as it emerged that the prime accused Dr. Anahita Pundole -- who was at the wheel -- was a habitual 'speedster', a top official said.

"The charge sheet is ready and we shall file it this week before a Palghar Court. Certain formalities like the arrest and recording the statement of the prime accused Dr. Anahita Pundole are left to be completed, which we hope to do soon," Palghar Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil told IANS.

He said that Pundole -- who is one of the two survivors of the September 4 accident which killed Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pundole -- is still undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital and hence her statement could not be recorded by the investigating team.

The hospital authorities have reportedly set her discharge date by next week after which the Palghar Police's Kasa Police Station will complete the remaining investigation formalities, he added.

Anahita Pundole, 55, a Mumbai resident, has been charged under Indian Penal Code Section 304(A), 279, 337 and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act by the Kasa Police Station. If proved guilty and convicted, she can face at least two years in jail.

The police probe so far has revealed that the Mercedes Benz car, registered in the name of JM Financials, of which Darius Pundole is one of the directors -- was involved in several traffic rules violations in the past couple of years, said Patil.

The investigators have come across at least seven instances of over-speeding involving Dr. Anahita that were captured on speed cameras and traffic e-challans slapped on her since 2020.

The fresh evidence unearthed so far is now made a part of the chargesheet since it's the same car that was involved in the Palghar accident, which took place when Mistry and Pundole trio were returning from Udvada in south Gujarat to Mumbai via the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway.

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group scion, Mistry, 54 -- a former Tata Sons Chairman -- and his childhood friend Jehangir Pundole, were killed instantly when the car rammed into a railing of the bridge on the Surya River that fateful Sunday, stunning the corporate world.

Dr. Anahita, who was allegedly driving the vehicle at a high speed and her husband Darius Pundole sitting beside her, suffered grave injuries in the road crash and after initial treatment at a Vapi hospital, the couple was shifted to Mumbai.

While Darius was discharged in late October after around 54 days' treatment, Dr. Anahita is still in hospital but is likely to be sent home next week, though there is no official confirmation.