Pune: 35-Year-Old Lawyer Dies in Head-On Collision with Wrong-Side SUV

Pune, 14th May 2025: In a tragic incident on Wednesday evening, a speeding Fortuner car driving on the wrong side fatally struck a motorcycle, resulting in the death of a 35-year-old lawyer, Aniket Arun Bhalerao, a resident of Wardade Village, Haveli. The accident occurred around 4:30 PM in front of the Tarangan Hotel on the Panshet-Pune Road in Manerwadi.

According to the complaint filed by Shantaram Gopal Bhalerao (52), Aniket’s uncle, at Haveli Police Station, Aniket was a practising lawyer at the Pune District Court. On the day of the accident, he was returning from Khanapur after buying vegetables when the Fortuner (MH 14 EA 0051), coming at high speed on the wrong side, collided head-on with his motorcycle. Aniket suffered severe injuries to his head, both knees, and left arm. He was initially rushed to the Khanapur Primary Health Centre and later transferred to a private hospital in Pune, where doctors declared him dead.

Eyewitnesses and family members identified the Fortuner driver as Raj Choraghe and alleged that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. They also reported that a woman was present in the car. After the crash, both the driver and the woman fled the scene. CCTV footage later showed the driver arriving at a private hospital for treatment.

Inspector Sachin Wangde of Haveli Police Station stated, “As soon as we received information about the incident, we rushed to the spot and seized the vehicles involved in the accident. The Fortuner driver is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Since there is suspicion of alcohol consumption, we have taken his blood sample. The report is awaited. Once the doctors discharge the driver, we will arrest him immediately.”