Pune Porsche Accident Updates: Grandfather of the teen arrested, family home raided, police officials suspended as investigation widens
Highlights:
- Grandfather of the minor arrested for coercing driver to take the blame for accident
- Vishal Agarwal, father of the minor also likely to be charged for coercing the driver to take responsibility
- The Pune Police Crime Branch raids Surendra Kumar Agarwal’s house
- Surendra Agrawal remanded to police custody until 28th May by court
- PI & another officer placed under suspension; Departmental proceedings have been initiated” – Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar
On Saturday, Pune police arrested the grandfather of the minor boy who was apprehended for allegedly driving a Porsche at high speeds and killing two software engineers in the city on May 19. The minor’s grandfather, a prominent realtor in Pune, was arrested on charges of kidnapping and wrongful confinement following a complaint from the man hired to drive the Porsche vehicle.
According to Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, the driver was told that he would be rewarded if he accepted responsibility for the incident and that if he refused, he would face serious consequences.
According to the first information report filed at the Yerawada police station early Saturday morning, the 42-year-old driver stated that he was driving home from the police station on the intervening night of May 19 and May 20 when the minor’s grandfather allegedly forced him to sit in a BMW car.
The grandfather allegedly took the driver to their bungalow, where he and the minor boy’s father allegedly snatched the driver’s phone and confined him. The minor boy’s grandfather and father allegedly asked the complainant driver to accept responsibility for the Porsche car accident, according to the FIR.
The minor’s father, who is in judicial custody, has also been charged in this case.
“He was transported to the accused’s residence…”His cell phone was confiscated, and he was confined to the house. He was advised not to speak to anyone or go anywhere. “He was pressured to give the police a statement as per the family’s wish,” Kumar said, adding that the driver was promised rewards “as per his wish” if he accepted blame.
When the driver failed to return home, his wife arrived at the accused’s home on Monday, caused a commotion, and took him away. The driver was brought to the Crime Branch on Thursday, and his claims were verified, Kumar said.
The FIR filed on Saturday is the third in relation to the accident that occurred early on May 19, when two IT engineers were killed when a speeding Porsche with no number plates collided with their motorcycle at the Kalyani Nagar junction.
The minor was initially granted bail on the same day by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), but was later sent to an observation home until June 5 at the request of the police after the large public outrage.
On Friday, police chief Amitesh Kumar stated that following the accident, the minor’s father attempted to demonstrate that the driver, not his son, was behind the wheel of the Porsche car at the time of the accident. “So we are exploring the option of applying Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for destroying evidence,” he had stated.
Kumar also stated that the driver initially stated that he was driving the Porsche car, and that an investigation was underway to determine whether he made the statement under pressure. The police are now investigating whether the minor’s grandfather played a role in pressuring the driver to falsely claim he was driving the car.
The police also claimed to have checked the security cabin records of the house of accused, which allegedly showed that he had taken the car while leaving the house. Police have also seized CCTV footage from the minor’s home.
The Pune Police Crime Branch has raided Surendra Kumar Agarwal's house!!#punepolice #crimebranch #raid #surendrakumaragarwal #house #kalyaninagar #accident #kalyaninagaraccident #pune #punecity #punenews #punemirror
— Pune Mirror (@ThePuneMirror) May 25, 2024
Follow Pune Mirror for daily news & updates -… pic.twitter.com/AdOUtFMNk6
Meanwhile, based on information obtained from the minor boy, the police filed a second FIR on May 20 against his father and six others, including the owners and managers of two restaurants in Pune where the minor boy and his friends were allegedly served liquor prior to the accident.
The police also arrested the minor’s father for allegedly giving him a car with no license plates and money despite knowing he drank and was a minor without a driver’s licence. In addition, the police arrested five employees from the two restaurants for serving liquor to the minor boy.
The police booked them under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, as well as sections of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA). The police also charged the minor’s father with violating Section 420 of the IPC by failing to pay Rs 1,759 in registration fees to the Pune RTO. In this case, the police also invoked Sections 5/180 of the MVA and Section 65(e) of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act. A special court remanded the minor’s father and five restaurant personnel in judicial custody until June 7.
Pune police also have applied for a production warrant in Pune district court seeking police custody of Vishal Agrawal (father of the juvenile accused) in an abduction case. Vishal Agarwal is in Judicial Custody currently.
#WATCH | Pune car accident case: Pune CP Amitesh Kumar says, "The in-charge PI and one other officer have been placed under suspension and departmental proceedings have been initiated for primary lapses in the overall conduct of this preliminary initial phase of the investigation… pic.twitter.com/d3q3kn73IS
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024
Meanwhile, a Police Inspector and a Police Sub Inspector have been suspended for showing laxity in handling the case. The accident occurred in the middle of the night at around 2.30 am but the FIR against the minor driver was registered at 8.00 and the blood sample was taken at 11.00 am. Neither the police control room nor the DCP night rounds, nor the DCP of the concerned circle were also not informed about the accident by these police officials.
