Early-morning dash ends in wreck as SUV smashes Raopura signal

Vadodara: A high-speed SUV smashed into a divider and a traffic signal on Raopura main road in the early hours of Saturday before the driver fled the scene, leaving behind a trail of damage.The accident occurred around 3am, a time when Raopura, one of the old city's busiest stretches during the day, had only sparse vehicular movement. The SUV was travelling from Jubelibaug towards Chimnabai Tower when the incident took place.CCTV footage showed the SUV being driven at high speed while overtaking another vehicle. The car swerved into the opposite lane, and the driver appeared unaware of the rod divider ahead. A sudden attempt to change course failed, causing the SUV to jump the divider.The vehicle rammed into the traffic signal pole and the traffic control box, with the impact knocking off one of its wheels. The damaged SUV eventually came to a halt on the pavement. By the time police reached the spot, the driver had escaped.Raopura police inspector K K Jadhav said the vehicle was registered in the name of Mitul Panchal, but had changed hands multiple times without official transfer. "Panchal sold the SUV to Surpalsingh Vala, who later sold it to Harendra Bhadoriya. However, the ownership was never updated in official records," he said.Bhadoriya, who was out of station, told police that he had given the SUV to Aakash Darji after Darji handed over his car for coating. "At present, it is not clear who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident," Jadhav said.Police have registered an offence under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, the Damage to Public Property Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rash and negligent driving.