A driver employed by the family of the Pune minor who mowed down two people last week told the 17-year-old that he was too drunk to get behind the wheel and called the boy’s father, who asked the chauffeur to “let him drive”, police said on Thursday, adding the latest twist in a case that has caused an upsurge of anger across the country.
Also Read | ‘Daily prayers, TV, outdoor sports’: Pune teen's day plan at remand home
Pune Police questioned the driver, who said he drove the Porsche Taycan sports car out of the parking lot of the Blak Club in Koregaon Park neighbourhood when the minor insisted he would drive.
“He was reluctant to let the minor drive given that the boy was inebriated. He then called the 17-year-old’s father, who said ‘let him drive’,” said a police officer aware of the matter. “The driver sat beside the minor while he drove the Porsche and later crashed into the two-wheeler killing two IT professionals,” the officer added.
The two were accompanied in the car by the boy’s friend, who was also questioned on Thursday, along with the accused’s grandfather.
{{/usCountry}}The two were accompanied in the car by the boy’s friend, who was also questioned on Thursday, along with the accused’s grandfather.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Grandfather of Pune accident accused paid Chhota Rajan to kill corporator: Charge sheet
The car’s registration details and ownership are also being probed.
Further, police are compiling footage of the Porsche to track its path from the boy’s home to the crash site in Kalyani Nagar.
Early on Sunday morning, the minor, who was reportedly inebriated, was driving the Porsche sports car that knocked down two motorcycle-borne software engineers. The engineers, Aneesh Awadhiya (24) and Ashwini Koshta (24), were both killed. The case and the subsequent bail granted to the minor under provisions of the JJ Act drew sharp criticism and a flurry of protests. Under the bail conditions, the minor was required to work with Yerwada traffic police for 15 days and write an essay on the accident.
Also Read | ‘Wanted to send her in Doli…’: Pune Porsche crash victim Ashwini Costa's mother
Pune Police then filed a review petition before JJB, asking that the boy be tried as an adult and requesting a review of the May 19 order. The boy’s father, one of Pune’s most prominent builders, was arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday.
The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune on Wednesday cancelled the 17-year-old boy’s bail and remanded him in 14 days’ custody, but stopped short of declaring its verdict on treating him as an adult in the crime, amid a firestorm of outrage.