The 17-year-old boy involved in a late-night Porsche accident on a Pune road, which resulted in the deaths of two 24-year-old engineers, has informed the police that he cannot remember the events of that night due to intoxication, according to sources.
Currently housed in an observation home while the Juvenile Justice Board considers the police’s request to try him as an adult, the teenager was reportedly seen on camera drinking shortly before the accident and allegedly spent ₹ 48,000 at a pub. During his interrogation, the teen claimed he could not recall the events of that night, sources said.
The police are attempting to retrieve the original blood sample of the minor, which was allegedly replaced to protect him.
Multiple FIRs have been filed in connection with the accident after the crime branch’s investigation uncovered an elaborate scheme to shield the teen suspect.
One case pertains to the accident itself, another involves serving alcohol to a minor, and a third is against the boy’s father, a prominent realtor, for allowing him to drive without a license. Additional cases have been registered against the teen’s parents for allegedly attempting to destroy evidence and against his grandfather for allegedly kidnapping the family’s driver and threatening him to take the blame for the accident.
Two doctors from the state-run Sassoon Hospital, including the head of the forensic department, have been arrested for allegedly switching blood samples to alter the report.
The boy’s grandfather, father, and mother have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the cover-up attempt. The teen’s mother, whose blood sample was tested instead of her son’s, has claimed that doctors at Sassoon Hospital collected her sample without explaining the reason and denied trying to protect her son.
The accident, which resulted in the deaths of software engineers Ashwini Kostha and Aneesh Awadhiya, caused nationwide outrage after the teen was granted bail within 15 hours of the incident under conditions widely seen as lenient: a 300-word essay, 15 days of work with traffic police, and psychiatric treatment and counseling for his drinking habit.
