A 70-year-old Andheri man booked by the Versova Police for drunk driving after a minor road accident was not under the influence of alcohol, according to the police. The man, identified as Sharad Kadam, who had appeared unwell and struggled to speak when police detained him, had in fact suffered a stroke, raising questions about why he remained at the police station for several hours before receiving treatment for his medical condition.

Kadam was booked on July 25 after his WagonR allegedly brushed against a Thar SUV driven by a woman veterinarian and another car near Seven Bungalows in Andheri.

He was taken to the Versova police station, and traffic personnel were called to run a test on him to determine if he was driving under the influence. When he couldn’t blow into the device after multiple attempts, the traffic personnel left without submitting a report, a police officer said.

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Kadam, on the other hand, was kept at the police station for several hours.

“Prima facie, Kadam appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, and he was booked for drunk driving under the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act,” a police officer said.

It was only after a distant relative noticed that Kadam’s condition had deteriorated that he was taken back to hospital.

A CT scan at Cooper Hospital at around 9.30 pm reportedly showed that Kadam had suffered a minor stroke. He was subsequently shifted to Nanavati Hospital for further treatment.

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Kadam lives alone in Andheri, while his wife and son reside abroad. He is also a distant relative of a senior BJP leader, who subsequently questioned the police over the alleged delay in medical treatment.

Following the controversy, police formed a Special Investigation Team and ACP Dnyaneshwar Awari conducted an probe which concluded that Kadam was not under the influence of alcohol. Police also recorded the statements of the two traffic constables who had been called to conduct the breathalyser test.