Panvel: What began as a midnight outing for a group of friends ended in a nightmare on the morning of March 19. Three brilliant students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay lost their lives in a high-speed collision on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after their car rammed into a container while attempting a risky maneuver.

The deceased have been identified as Om Kumar Borse (23) from Nashik, Shreyansh Sharma (22) from Jaipur, and Lay Deshbhratar (20) from Nagpur. The news has sent shockwaves through the IIT Powai campus, leaving faculty and students in deep mourning.

According to police reports, a group of six IIT students had left their Powai campus around 11:00 pm on March 18 to watch a movie. Later, around 4:00 am, they decided to drive to Lonavala in three separate cars to witness the sunrise at Khandala’s famous Sunrise Point.

The tragedy struck during their return journey to Mumbai. The three victims were traveling in a Volkswagen Polo (MH12 BH 6483). Around 1.5 km past the Bhatan Tunnel, the vehicle met with a catastrophic accident.

Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Ghadge from Panvel said, “The Volkswagen Polo was speeding in the second lane. In an attempt to overtake a container moving in the third lane, the car driver tried to swerve suddenly into the service lane. During this high-speed maneuver, the driver lost control, and the car crashed violently into the rear of the container-trailer."

Issuing a stern warning to motorists, Inspector Ghadge added, "Maintaining lane discipline on the Expressway is a matter of life and death. This tragedy is a grim reminder that overtaking from the wrong side at high speeds can lead to fatal consequences. We urge all drivers to adhere to speed limits."

The impact was so severe that all three occupants—Om, Shreyansh, and Lay—died on the spot. Their friends, who were following in two other cars (MH01 AX 2975 and MH12 LT 3694), reached the spot shortly after to find the vehicle mangled.

Highway Safety Patrol and Panvel Taluka Police rushed to the scene upon receiving the alert. The bodies were shifted to a state hospital for post-mortem examination, and the families of the deceased have been informed.