Pune:

A Pune court on Tuesday granted bail to the father and the grandfather of the juvenile involved in the Porsche car crash, in a case pertaining to alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement of their family driver after the fatal accident in May.

A Judicial Magistrate (First Class) granted bail to the 17-year-old boy’s father Vishal Agarwal, a prominent builder, and his grandfather, who were arrested in May-end.

According to police, the teen’s father and the grandfather allegedly kidnapped their family driver after he left a police station on May 19 at 11 pm, hours after the crash, wrongfully confined him at their bungalow and tried to force him to admit that he, and not the juvenile, was behind the wheels when the accident took place.

A Porsche car driven by the 17-year-old boy allegedly in a drunken state fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne software engineers in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of May 19.

Advocate Prashant Patil, a defence lawyer, informed that his clients were granted bail by the court in the alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement case.

“My clients will cooperate with the investigative agency and shall abide by stringent (bail) conditions of the court,” Patil said.

Last month, a court granted bail to Agarwal, arrested on May 21, in a case pertaining to the Juvenile Justice Act. The builder was booked under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) and the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) for ‘failing to do his duty as a guardian’.

On June 25, the Bombay High Court directed that the boy be released from an observation home, saying the Juvenile Justice Board’s (JJB) order on his detention was illegal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Maharashtra is working to install AI-powered cameras in eateries across Pune and the licences of 70 pubs have been cancelled after the horrific Porsche crash in which a teen driver ran over two techies, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the state assembly today.

The Porsche crash and its aftermath were at the centre of a massive showdown in the state assembly between the government and the Opposition.

Pune has become a drug haven, the Opposition charged.

Tackling the Opposition’s key question – what action has been taken to prevent such accidents in the future, Mr Fadnavis, also the state Home Minister, said, “After the accident, 70 pub licences have been cancelled in Pune. Work is being done to install AI-enabled cameras to know when the establishment shuts for the day, whether the age of the customer was checked upon entry, and what proof of age was provided on entry. If patrons are allowed entry without proof, action will be taken.”

The teen who was driving the Porsche on May 19 was seen on security footage drinking with his friends in two pubs, unstopped by anyone though he is underage.

Opposition’s “Udta Punjab” Charge

Opposition leader in the Maharashtra Assembly Vijay Waddetiwar claimed Pune is becoming like ‘Udta Punjab’ – a reference to the drug menace in the border state.

“Pune is a city where students come from across the country, but there is no place here where you don’t get drugs. This car, which was without a number plate, was on the roads for six months. How did the police allow it to be on the road for so long? If they are doing something later, or changing blood samples, there must be political reasons for it. Rs 5 lakh was taken as hafta (extortion money) from rooftop hotels in the city and Rs 2.5 lakh from smaller outlets. How were 27 pubs running there without permission? What was the Police Commissioner doing? We need a detailed investigation,” he said.

Countering the explosive charges, Mr Fadnavis said, “Pune is the IT hub and the cultural centre of the state. This is why we should not liken it to “Udta Punjab”.

“I am not here to give a clean chit to anyone. The police have taken a very proactive approach here. There is no need to investigate them. This is a new habit, someone brings a paper and talks about rate cards. Here, the police have undertaken the investigation and the information provided by Mr Waddetiwar will be looked into by us,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

How did the car without a number plate go unnoticed for six months, the opposition questioned. “They had registered the car but not fulfilled the process. The tax was not paid. We will look into it and see if any RTO officers are involved,” Mr Fadnavis replied.

Mr Fadnavis also defended the Pune Police Commissioner and said that he has done a very proactive job, dismissing calls for action against him.

“The accident happened on May 19 around 2:30 am. The accused was beaten by the people gathered at the spot and was later taken to the police station. The police filed a complaint under Section 304(a) of the Indian Penal Code (causing death by negligence). After officials said that Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) should be filed, it was added to the case diary the same day,” Mr Fadnavis said, defending the police action in the case.

“We very clearly mentioned before the Juvenile Justice Board that the boy is involved in the accident and he is 17 years old… The police said that he should be treated as an adult.

“After Nirbhaya, we have seen that if a 17-year-old commits a crime, he/she can be treated as an adult,” he explained.

The Home Minister also addressed how the cops moved in promptly to prevent the case from being derailed by a blood swap. “When no alcohol was found in the teen’s blood sample, the police figured that something was wrong. They took the teen’s DNA and that of his family. The match returned positive with his father.

“The investigation continued. Several people were arrested, including a doctor. One of the arrested accused confessed to taking Rs 3 lakh to swap out the sample,” he said.

“Following this, a chargesheet was filed and legal evidence was prepared. The crash impact analysis was investigated, and we knew that the lock speed after he pressed the brakes was 110 kmph.

“We got the CCTV footage from along the route the teen took and all legal and technical evidence are put together,” he said.

“Where Did The Police Go Wrong?”

Further extending the government’s support to the police, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said, “A case was filed against the teen’s father for giving a car to his underage son, against the bar operator, and against the grandfather for asking their driver to take the fall.

“Where did the police go wrong? When the accused was brought in at 3 am, he should have been sent for a medical test immediately. But that happened at 8:30 am. Secondly, when such crimes happen, they usually charge the accused under Section 304(a). The police also did the same in this case but they ideally should have informed the seniors. Those who did not do their work have been suspended,” he said.

In the early hours of May 19, the teenager, who had been drinking with his friends in two pubs in Pune to celebrate his Class 12 results, rammed a speeding Porsche into a two-wheeler and killed two 24-year-old IT professionals in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area. Aneesh Awadhiya, who was riding the bike was sent flying and hit a parked car, while Ashwini Koshta – riding pillion – was flung 20 feet into the air. Both died on the spot.

At 17 years and 8 months, the teenager was four months short of the legal age for driving and more than seven years shy of Maharashtra’s legal age for drinking. He was initially granted bail within 15 hours of the accident and asked to write a 300-word essay on traffic safety and assist the traffic cops. Following massive outrage over the court order, the teen was sent to a remand home.

Subsequently, several arrests were made in the case, including the teen’s parents and grandfather. The Bombay High Court recently ordered the teen’s release, saying, “We are bound by law, the aims and objectives of the Juvenile Justice Act and must treat him as any child in conflict with law separately from an adult, despite the seriousness of the crime.”

Pune:

Police have formed more than a dozen teams comprising 100 personnel to look into various aspects of the wide-range investigation into the Porsche car crash case allegedly involving a minor driver, an officer said on Saturday.

Police have registered three separate cases after the car allegedly driven by a minor boy fatally knocked down two IT professionals travelling on a bike in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19.

The three cases include FIRs regarding the accident and the second one against the bar that served liquor to the juvenile. Police have booked the boy’s father, a builder, for allowing him to drive the car without a valid license. A third case is about the wrongful confinement and coercion of the family driver to take the blame for the accident.

Among the boy’s family members, police have so far arrested his father, grandfather, and his (juvenile’s) mother after confirmation that his blood samples were replaced with hers, Pune police chief Amitesh Kumar said on Saturday.

Other persons in police custody are two doctors of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital and an employee for allegedly swapping the blood sample of the minor boy.

Police have invoked the Indian Penal Code, Juvenile Justice Act, Motor Vehicle Act, and Prevention of Corruption Act.

“To ensure that the probe is conducted professionally and effectively, we have deployed multiple teams. Approximately 100 police personnel, including officers, are looking after different aspects of the case,” said Shailesh Balkawade, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Police have formed three teams comprising 8 to 10 personnel each for investigating the three registered cases, two teams for documentation to strengthen the case, a team for CCTV footage monitoring, three teams for technical analysis and as many for field operations. One team each is assigned the task of escorting the accused and for communication.

“This multi-faceted approach aims to cover all aspects of the investigation, ensuring thorough and meticulous handling of the case,” said Balkawade.

As part of their probe, the police also spoke to the minor for about an hour at the observation home, where he has been sent till June 5, in his mother’s presence. An official, however, said “they were not forthcoming during the probe”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

Days after the Porsche car crash case that has sent shockwaves across the country, retired IAS officer Arun Bhatia has written a letter to the Chairman of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) seeking the transfer of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar from the city.

Mr Bhatia has also requested the human rights body to investigate the conduct of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar since he “represents the police force in the city”.

The appointment of the doctor as Chief Medical Officer based on a politician’s recommendation should be investigated and the Health Secretary punished, Bhatia stated in the letter.

Mr Bhatia has also asked for a report from the police regarding the step-by-step sequence of events and reasons for delay and lapses in the investigation process which must be obtained and brought into the public domain immediately.

“The present Police Commissioner cannot be relied upon to do this,” he mentioned.

The retired civil servant accused the Police Commissioner of shielding the crime and his corrupt officials.

“He refused to explain the delays and lapses. A reporter asking questions was pushed away by a police officer as seen on television. The media reported that the Police Commissioner had said that there was no political pressure to save the doctors and later contradicted this. Two politicians had turned up at the police station,” Mr Bhatia added.

To cap this scandal the court released on bail the seventeen-year-old who had emerged from a pub to take the wheel instead of placing him in a remand home, he said.

Mr Bhatia requested that the Human Rights Commission take special note of the fact that unless senior officials are held accountable for the misdeeds of their subordinates, government departments will not improve.

Requesting transparency in the Pune car crash case, Mr Bhatia said that at present, information about the case is available only from the media. “The Police Commissioner must give this information. In no way will it hamper the investigation,” he said.

Mr Bhatia stressed that it is essential that crime detection and investigation agencies are kept clean, efficient, and free from corruption. “The H R Commission must ensure this,” he added.

The retired civil servant said that the Human Rights Commission has to enforce the implementation of the laws that protect our lives and freedom. “When these laws and procedures are violated the HR Commission must take corrective steps,” he added.

Mr Bhatia has also penned a letter to Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar saying that “citizens” want him to leave the city.

“We will be demanding an investigation into your conduct and other officers. Your presence will compromise this investigation. If you are innocent and have nothing to hide you must go on leave and allow the proper investigation,” he said in the letter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

The blood sample of the Pune teen, whose late-night Porsche dash left two young engineers dead, may have been swapped with his mother’s sample to manipulate the alcohol test report and get him off the hook.

With the investigation into the chilling crash revealing massive irregularities in the 17-year-old’s medical examination at the state-run Sassoon Hospital, Maharashtra Medical Education had appointed a three-member committee headed by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of Mumbai-based Grants Medical College, to look into the matter.

The panel’s report, police sources said, has revealed that blood samples of a woman and two elderly men had been collected with the intention of switching the teen accused’s sample. Police now suspect that the teen’s mother sample had been collected as part of this plan, the sources added.

Police now plan to collect samples of some suspects to get to the bottom of this, the sources said. They are looking for the teen’s mother after they did not find her home.

The teen’s mother had earlier appeared in a video message in which she had said that a viral video purportedly featuring her son was fake. She had also appealed to the police to “protect” her son and broke down on camera.

While the teen accused is at an observation home, his realtor father and grandfather have been arrested. The family, it is alleged, tried to pressure their driver into taking the blame for the accident. If the sample under probe is found to be his mother’s, it will point to the involvement of another family member in the cover-up attempt.

Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Kostha, 24-year-old engineers from Madhya Pradesh, were killed when a speeding Porsche hit their bike late on May 19. The teen, alleged to be driving the car drunk, was out on bail within 15 hours on conditions widely described as flimsy — he was asked to write a 300-word essay, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days and seek treatment for his drinking habit.

Amid growing outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board modified its order and sent him to an observation home till June 5, as a decision is taken on the police plea for permission to try the teen as an adult.

The investigation later found that the blood report of the teen accused was manipulated by switching samples. Dr Ajay Taware, head of Sassoon Hospital’s forensic medicine department, chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff Atul Ghatkamble have been arrested in this connection. The probe has revealed that Dr Halnor and Ghatkamble received Rs 3 lakh from Dr Taware to change the blood samples, a police officer has said.

Pune:

Police investigating the Porsche car crash allegedly involving a juvenile driver are planning “digital reconstruction” of the accident scene using some latest AI-based tools and software for “evidence appreciation”, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

He said such AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools have not yet been used for reconstructing accident scenes, though they have been effectively used in murder cases to reconstruct the body for identification.

“By leveraging these AI tools, we aim to reconstruct the entire accident and crime scene in detail. The objective is to create a comprehensive visualisation of the crime/accident scene to enhance evidence appreciation,” the officer told PTI.

The juvenile son of a city-based builder allegedly drank alcohol at a restaurant and a club before driving the car at high speed, which crashed into a motorbike in the early hours of May 19, killing two IT professionals, police had said.

The digital reconstruction involves recreating the route from the juvenile’s home to Cosie Restaurant to Blak Club in Mundhwa area, and from the Club to the accident spot in Kalyani Nagar area.

“There are some AI simulated models and core softwares wherein if CCTV camera footage, photos or spot photos are inputted, they can create some 3D image or 3D walk-through,” the officer added.

Police had collected a large volume of CCTV footage along the route taken by the juvenile, leading to the spot of the accident, which will come in handy in the digital reconstruction of the accident site.

As per the police, the juvenile, who is in the observation home, had partied in Cosie restaurant and Blak Club.

Police had arrested the minor’s father and grandfather for allegedly trying to stall the investigation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi/Pune:

The peon, who was arrested in the Pune Porsche crash case yesterday along with two doctors for allegedly manipulating the blood test report of the 17-year-old accused, handed Rs 3 lakh bribe to the doctors, sources have said.

Sources say the peon, Atul Ghatkamble, acted as the middleman and collected Rs 3 lakh bribe meant for the two doctors from the teen’s family.

Dr Ajay Tawade and Dr Hari Harnor of Sasoon Hospital were arrested yesterday by the Pune Crime Branch.

Investigation has revealed Dr Tawade and the teen accused’s father spoke over the phone on the day of the accident. “The juvenile’s father had called the doctor and offered him allurements to replace the blood samples,” police said.

Dr Taware has hinted at the minor blood samples being replaced by the blood samples of a doctor, it’s learnt. Officials said the samples were swapped to remove the traces of alcohol.

“I will not keep quiet. I will take everyone’s name,” he said during the investigation.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had yesterday said that the samples collected at the hospital and sent for forensic tests were not of the juvenile accused.

“Around 11 am on May 19, a blood sample (of the teen) that was taken at Sassoon Hospital was thrown in a dustbin and the blood sample of another person was taken and sent to the forensic lab. During the investigation, we found CMO Srihari Halnor replaced this on the instructions of Ajay Tawade, HOD of forensic medicine department at Sassoon Hospital,” Mr Kumar had said while addressing the media.

As the minor’s blood samples were replaced, the report which was received on Sunday showed no traces of alcohol. However, CCTV footage from one of the bars he visited that night showed him drinking with friends.

Two young IT professionals were killed after their motorcycle was hit by the speeding Porsche allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in the early hours of May 19 in Pune.

The Porsche, believed to have been at over 200 km per hour speed, hit the bike on which two 24-year-old techies were returning home after a party. Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air and landed hard, said an eyewitness. Aneesh was thrown at a parked car and suffered serious injuries. Both died on the spot.

Pune:

A court in Pune on Saturday remanded the grandfather of the teenager involved in the Porsche crash case in police custody till May 28.

Earlier in the day, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told the media that the juvenile’s father, who is already in judicial custody, and grandfather offered cash and gifts to their family driver and later threatened him to take the blame for the accident.

The police arrested the grandfather for “wrongful confinement” of the family driver, an official said earlier.

In the court, the police sought the grandfather’s custody for 7 days.

The teen’s grandfather and his father Vishal Agarwal, a real estate developer, have been booked under IPC sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement). 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

The Pune crash, where two techies were killed after being hit by a Porsche, has gripped the entire nation with the police investigation unveiling a new twist every day. Pune Police today revealed that the family of the 17-year-old who was allegedly driving the car made efforts to pin the blame on a driver.

Two engineers — Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya — were on the bike when the Porsche, being driven at 200 km per hour, hit their bike from behind. The two died on the spot. Police have said the 17-year-old accused, son of a prominent Pune realtor, was heavily drunk at the time of the accident.

Minutes after the accident, the teen’s father called the driver and offered him a reward in lieu of a cash reward. They asked the driver to switch places with the boy and tell the police that he was driving the car.

When the driver turned down the offer, they tried to threaten him into accepting that he was behind the wheel when the accident took place, police said.

“The teen’s family driver was offered allurements and later threatened to take the blame for the Porsche crash,” Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said in a press conference today.

The driver has filed a police complaint where he also claims that the teen’s grandfather locked him up and did not allow him to go home for two days. Police have registered a kidnapping case and arrested the grandfather.

“The teen’s grandfather and father allegedly took the driver’s phone and put him in confinement in his house on the premises of their bungalow from May 19 to May 20. The driver was freed by his wife,” said an official from the crime branch, which is probing the case.

Cops said that they have CCTV footage and other evidence to prove that the teen, who was drunk, was driving the Porsche. The boy had gone out to celebrate with his friends after passing his Class 12 board exams.  

After partying at a posh Pune club, where they ran up a bill of Rs 48,000, the boy fought with the driver for the keys of the car. The driver initially resisted, but allowed the teen to drive after a call with the boy’s father.

Driving at 200 kmph, the teen crashed into a bike killing two 24-year-old software engineers from Madhya Pradesh. He was taken into custody by police at 3 am, and granted bail within 15 hours on the conditions seen as flimsy. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days, and seek counselling for his drinking habit.

But the Juvenile Justice Board later modified the order and sent him to a remand home till June 5. The police have requested the board permission to try the teen as an adult.

The case has sparked outrage across the nation with several protests being held seeking swift justice.

Pune:

The grandfather of the Pune teen, who ran over two 24-year-old techies in a late-night drunken dash in a Porsche, has been arrested after the family’s driver alleged that he was wrongfully confined, threatened and told to take the blame for the accident, sources in the police have said. He has been charged under IPC sections relating to kidnapping and wrongful confinement, the sources added.

Pune Police yesterday said efforts were made to force the driver to take blame minutes after the accident. After the accident, the grandfather locked up the driver and asked him to take the blame as the family tried to shield the minor, the sources said. He also told him that the family would ensure he is released too, the sources added.

“The teen’s grandfather and father allegedly took the driver’s phone, put him in confinement in his house on the premises of their bungalow from May 19 to May 20. The driver was freed by his wife,” said an official from the crime branch, which is probing the case.

Two engineers — Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya — were on the bike when the Porsche, being driven at 200 km per hour, hit their bike from behind. The two died on the spot. Police have said the 17-year-old accused, son of a prominent Pune realtor, was heavily drunk at the time of the accident. He was granted bail within 15 hours of the accident on the conditions seen as flimsy. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days and seek counselling for his drinking habit.

Amid nationwide outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board later modified the order and sent him to an observation home till a police plea for permission to try him as an adult is decided. The boy’s father and staff of two bars the teenager visited that night were also arrested under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The case has also brought under the spotlight the family’s links with the underworld. 

The matter dates back to a 2009 attack on a Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale. According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the boy’s grandfather was locked in a property dispute with his brother and had allegedly contacted Chhota Rajan to mediate. The gangster got in touch with Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale, who knew the brother. But Mr Bhosale was busy with the Assembly polls that year and refused to intervene. The boy’s grandfather suspected that the Shiv Sena leader was backing his brother and allegedly asked Chhota Rajan to bump him off, the CBI chargesheet said. The Shiv Sena leader’s car was fired at near Pune’s Koregaon Park, but the bullet missed him and hit his driver instead, injuring him.

Mr Bhosale, who is now with the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, has told NDTV that his ‘supari’ was given by the builder, who is not being named because the accused in the Porsche case is a minor. The grandfather was also listed as an accused in the chargesheet, but not arrested. The attempt to murder case is now part of a bunch of cases against Chhota Rajan pending before a Mumbai CBI court.