In the latest development in the Pune Porsche car accident case, two friends of the 17-year-old, accused, have told the police that he was drunk at the time of the accident, reported NDTV citing sources.
The two friends were in the passenger seat when the accident took place on March 19. Two IT professionals from Madhya Pradesh-- Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta--were flung into the air as an impact of the accident 'caused' by the accused minor.
According to witnesses, the car was travelling at 200 km per hour when it hit the bike carrying the deceased.
The CCTV footage from a city bar showed the accused drinking along with his friends. The police had questioned the bar owner and the staff were arrested for serving liquor to a minor.
The police had also arrested the father and the grandfather of the boy in connection with manipulation. The local court in Pune on Friday remanded the father and grandfather for 14 days in judicial custody over their roles in the alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement of their driver.
The father-son duo allegedly threatened the driver to take the blame for the accident. They allegedly kidnapped him and illegally confined him to their house. The driver was also in the car when the accident took place.
Also, two cops were suspended after lapses were found in the initial investigation. When questions about the boy’s alcohol level were raised, lapses were found on the part of the arresting cops. The cops did not take the teen for an immediate blood test.
Meanwhile, allegations of doctors and staff manipulating the tests by altering the samples were also raised. Police have arrested Dr Ajay Taware, then head of the department of forensic medicine at Sassoon Hospital, medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and employee Atul Ghatkamble for allegedly manipulating the minor's blood samples.
The juvenile has been sent to an observation home till June 5. Pune police have sought the Juvenile Justice Board's permission to probe the minor. “We have written to the JJ Board and sought their permission to allow us to probe the minor in the case,” said Shailesh Balkawade, additional commissioner of police (crime).
According to the Juvenile Justice Act, the inquiry of a minor is to be conducted in the presence of parents.
