Three IIT-Bombay students died in a fatal crash on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway after attempting to overtake a container truck near the Bhatan tunnel. The incident occurred around 8:35 am on Thursday, leaving the group of six students, including the three deceased, trapped in the wreckage of their Volkswagen Polo. Highway traffic police used cutting tools to extricate the victims before transporting them to MGM Hospital in Kamothe, where they were confirmed dead. The accident was first reported by a bus driver, who witnessed the collision. The students were traveling in a rented Volkswagen Polo, which collided with the rear of a container truck while attempting to overtake it. The impact was severe, causing the car to flip multiple times and collapse into a twisted mass of metal. An FIR has been registered against an unidentified individual based on a complaint filed by Hitesh Kumar Meena, another student in a different vehicle. Police are reviewing CCTV footage to determine the exact circumstances, including whether overspeeding or driver fatigue contributed to the crash. The deceased students were identified as Omkumar Nitin Borse, 23, from Malegaon; Shreyansh Naresh Sharma, 20, from Jaipur; and Lay Prashant Deshbhratar, 21, from Nagpur. Borse, a second-year aerospace engineering student, was known for his passion for cricket, swimming, and campus innovation. He had served as the event co-ordinator for IIT Bombay’s entrepreneurship cell and hostel secretary. Sharma, a final-year mechanical engineering student, aspired to become an IAS officer and was described by his father as a “brilliant child” who dedicated significant effort to securing his IIT admission. He was also active on campus and involved in sports and music. Deshbhratar, a second-year physics student, was from Nagpur.#iit_bombay #mumbai #mumbai_pune_expressway #bhatan_tunnel #volkswagen_polo
