Mumbai Police Detains Elderly Man For Hours On Drunk Driving Suspicion, Later Discovers He Suffered A Stroke

Published 30 July 2026 · local

Mumbai Police Detains Elderly Man For Hours On Drunk Driving Suspicion, Later Discovers He Suffered A Stroke Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 10:21

Mumbai Police Detains Elderly Man For Hours On Drunk Driving Suspicion, Later Discovers He Suffered A Stroke Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 10:21 IST Mumbai man, who suffered a stroke while driving, was held by cops for hours for drunk driving. The delay in getting him medical care left him paralysed. Know how it unfolded. Rapid Read An old man in Mumbai was detained by police for drunk driving when he actually suffered a stroke which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. (AI image representation) A 73-year-old man who suffered a stroke while driving and caused a minor accident last week was allegedly kept at Versova police station for nearly five hours on suspicion of drunk driving. The delay cost him the crucial hours for treatment and left him partially paralysed, as reported by Times of India. His treatment was delayed by around 12 hours.

He has remained in the ICU since then. The family of Sharad Kadam, a Versova resident, said police mistook his slurred speech, a symptom of stroke, for intoxication. They alleged he was not given a breathalyser test at the spot. Police, however, said Kadam told doctors at Cooper Hospital that he was drunk. He was taken there for a blood alcohol test after an FIR was registered. Conflicting Medical Reports A second test at Nanavati Hospital, where Kadam was admitted around 8 pm, found no trace of alcohol. Police said the Cooper Hospital report is still awaited. As per rules, in drunk driving cases, the accused must first be taken to a hospital for testing and not to a police station. Kadam, a retired businessman who lives alone in Versova while his wife and son stay in Canada, allegedly lost control of his car after suffering a stroke.

The car brushed another vehicle around 9 am on July 25. Police filed an FIR against him for rash and negligent driving and for drunk driving, based on a constable’s complaint. The constable claimed Kadam smelled of alcohol when officers reached the spot. His family later shifted him from Cooper Hospital to Nanavati Hospital in the evening. Family Alleges Negligence Rohan Rathod, an Andheri West corporator and Kadam’s nephew, said police and the other driver, a doctor, failed to recognise stroke symptoms and denied him timely care. “They were adamant on filing an FIR," Rathod told TOI. “A relative, who is a lawyer, rushed to the police station and found that he had collapsed there. She also noticed my uncle’s slurred speech. But police continued to claim he was drunk. The delayed medical assistance left the right side of his body paralysed," he said.