Pune, 19 September 2025: A tragic road accident near Eidgah Maidan in Pune early Thursday morning claimed the lives of two students from Symbiosis International University and left two others injured.
The group of four was returning to their campus after a late-night drive to Lonavala when their Maruti Swift crashed into a stationary container truck on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway around 5:45 AM.
Police identified the deceased as Divya Raj Singh Rathod (20) and Siddhant Anand Shekhar (20). The injured, Harsh Mishra (21) and Nihar Tamboli (20), suffered minor injuries and are being treated at a private hospital. All four were pursuing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) at the university.
According to the Dehu Road police, the car hit the truck from behind with severe impact, leaving the vehicle mangled and twisted. The truck driver, Manish Kumar Suraj Manipal (39) from Mumbai, has been taken into custody as part of the investigation.
Officials said they are examining all possible angles, including the truck driver’s role and whether the students’ late-night travel contributed to the crash.