'Was told to take the blame': Pune Porsche teen's grandfather told driver to take responsibility for crash
Pune: The grandfather of the 17-year-old teen, whose late-night drunken drive in a Porsche in Pune killed two people, told the family driver to take responsibility for the accident and warned him from disclosing any details to others, media reported.
In his statement to police, the 42-year-old driver revealed that immediately after the incident, the teen's grandfather called him.
"He first called me up and shouted at me over the phone. Then, he forcibly took me to their bungalow in their BMW car," the driver has said, reported NDTV.
The teen's father and his grandfather snatched his mobile phone, he has said.
The driver was confined to the bungalow. "I was told to take the blame. He told me, 'If you talk to anyone about this, remember...'," the driver has said.
Following this, police arrested the teen's grandfather under charges of wrongful confinement, kidnapping and criminal intimidation.
Today, he was presented in court where his lawyer claimed he was in Delhi during the accident. He has been detained until May 28.
The investigating officer said that the driver's phone hasn't been found yet, and the teenager's grandfather has to be interrogated
Prashant Patil, representing the teenager, said that his grandfather has been cooperative with the police, attending questioning sessions when summoned.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar informed the media that the driver was allegedly offered a cash reward to admit responsibility for driving during the accident.
"Pressure was created on him. After the accident, the driver was questioned at the police station. When the questioning was over, he wanted to go home, but he (the teen's grandfather) forcibly took him to their home, snatched his phone and confined him," the top cop was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The minor, allegedly speeding at 200 km per hour after heavy drinking, has been placed in an observation home until June 5 while the Juvenile Justice Board reviews the police request to treat him as an adult.
Further, the teen's father, a prominent real estate developer, has been arrested under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The teen driving the Porsche hit the motorcycle, ridden by two engineers, Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya, from behind in a drunken state,
Both the riders died on the spot.
Despite the severity of the situation, the teenager was granted bail within 15 hours of the accident. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, cooperating with traffic authorities for 15 days, and undergoing counselling for his alcohol consumption.
However, following widespread public outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board revised its decision and placed him in the observation home.
Amid accusations that the influential family attempted to manipulate legal procedures to protect the teenager, connections to the underworld were also uncovered.
The teenager's grandfather is also involved in a case of attempted murder related to a 2009 assault on a Shiv Sena corporator, according to reports.
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