Bentley accident: Ponty’s nephew denies speeding, cops disagree

Asees Singh Chadha, the nephew of deceased liquor baron Ponty Chadha, was driving a Bentley car that was involved in an incident resulting in the death of a woman on Monday.

Police on Tuesday recorded the statement of Asees Singh Chadha, the 19-year-old nephew of deceased liquor baron Ponty Chadha, who was allegedly involved in a mishap that resulted in the death of a woman from Turkmenistan.

Police personnel investigate the accident site where a Bentley sedan car reportedly driven by industrialist Ponty Chadha's nephew rammed into an auto rickshaw, in New Delhi, Monday, Feb 18, 2019. (AP)

Three others were seriously injured in the incident involving Asees’ Bentley car t that happened in Chanakyapuri on Monday, but are now out of danger.

Police had secured a one-day custody of 19-year-old Asees and recreated the accident scene on Tuesday.

Asees, said police, claimed he was not negligent and was not driving over 70kmph at the time, but admitted to “error in judgment” while overtaking.

“Asees told us that the autorickshaw suddenly came in his way while he was overtaking a cab,” said an investigator in the case, requesting anonymity. “However, we have witnesses that say he was driving recklessly and that the speed of his car was more than the limit. The way the autorickshaw and Asees’s vehicle, a Bentley, were damaged suggests that he was driving more than 100kmph.”

However, the statement of the injured persons, including two other women from Turkmenistan, could not be recorded on Tuesday as doctors had not declared them fit for giving their version.

Police said that the three women from Turkmenistan were in India on a tourist visa valid for a year. “This was not the first visit to India for them. However, we are yet to ascertain why were they in India,” DCP Madhur Verma said.