"My three-year-old sister has been crying for our mother and asking about her since Wednesday, and I can't bring myself to tell her anything," said a heartbroken Sahil Kharwa, who, at just 14, has become the eldest member of his family. On Tuesday night, his 36-year-old mother, the family's sole provider, was tragically killed when a car ran her over in Lower Parel.

Poonam Ravi Kharwa and her four children—Sahil, 14; Roshni, 10; Amir, 7; and Laxmi, 3—were homeless and lived under the Elphinstone flyover near Kamala Mills in Lower Parel. Poonam crafted gajras (flower garlands), which Sahil sold in the Lower Parel area. The family had been without their father for many years, as he had left them long ago.

On Tuesday night, Poonam was walking at a junction beneath the flyover when an SUV, taking a U-turn, struck her. According to the police, Akshay Kishore Patel, a 28-year-old software engineer with only a learner's license, was driving the Tata Punch. The vehicle belonged to his colleague, Harshita Ahuja, who was in the passenger seat.

Patel had driven the car from Kamala Mills, where his office is located, and was making a U-turn near Modern Kitchen on Senapati Bapat Marg to enter the southbound lane when the incident occurred. An officer from the NM Joshi Marg police station explained, "As he was executing the U-turn, a woman suddenly appeared in front of the SUV. In his panic, he hit her, causing her to be thrown onto the road divider and suffer head injuries."

Patel rushed Kharwa to BYL Nair Hospital, but she was declared dead before arrival. "The deceased has been identified as Poonam Ravi Kharwa, 36, who lived on the footpath with her four children," said a police officer. "The driver, Akshay Patel, has only a learner’s driving license. The passenger, who owns the vehicle, has a regular license. We detained Patel but later released him after issuing a notice to appear."

The police have filed a case against Patel under sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as section 3(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act (driving a motor vehicle on a public place without a valid driving license).

A devastated Sahil is relying on the police to deliver justice for his family. "I've arranged for my siblings to stay at my uncle's place in Mumbai Central, but I'm at a loss about what to do next. Our father left us a long time ago, and my mother was our only support. Now that we've lost her too, I feel completely lost" said by sahil.