What Porsche Teenager's Grandfather Said to Driver After Accident

Pune:

The grandfather of the 17-year-old, whose late-night drunken drive in a Porsche claimed the lives of two 24-year-old technicians in Pune, had told the family driver to take responsibility for the accident and l He had threatened not to talk about it. no one's business.

In his statement to police, the 42-year-old driver said that shortly after the incident he received a call from the teenager's grandfather. “He first called me and shouted at me on the phone. Then he forcefully took me to their bungalow in their BMW car,” the driver said. The teen's father and grandfather snatched his cellphone, he said. The driver was confined to the bungalow. “I was told to take responsibility. He told me, 'If you tell anyone about this, remember…'” the driver said.

The teenager's grandfather was arrested for forcible confinement, kidnapping and criminal intimidation. He was produced in court today and his lawyer said he was in Delhi when the accident took place. He remained in detention until May 28.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told media that the driver was promised a cash reward if he told police that he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. “Pressure was put on him. After the accident, the driver was questioned at the police station. Once the interrogation was over, he wanted to go home, but he (the teenager's grandfather) forcefully took him to their house, snatched his phone and confined him,” the senior police officer said.

The teenage driver, who was speeding at 200 km/h after drinking heavily, has been sent to an observation home until June 5 while the Juvenile Justice Board considers the police's request for permission to judge him like an adult. The teenager's father, a prominent real estate agent, was arrested under sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Two engineers – Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya – were on the bike when the Porsche hit their bike from behind. They died instantly. The boy was released on bail within 15 hours of the accident, in conditions considered fragile. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, told to work with traffic police for 15 days and to seek advice on his alcohol consumption.

Amid national outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board later changed the order and sent him to the observation home.

As allegations emerged that the influential family had tried to circumvent legal processes to protect the teenager, a link to the underworld emerged.

The teenager's grandfather is accused in an attempted murder case linked to a 2009 attack on a Shiv Sena corporator.

According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the boy's grandfather was involved in a property dispute with his brother and allegedly contacted Chhota Rajan to mediate. The gangster got in touch with Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale, who knew the brother. But Mr Bhosale was busy with the Assembly elections and refused to intervene. The boy's grandfather suspected that the Sena chief was supporting his brother and allegedly asked Chhota Rajan to eliminate him, according to the CBI chargesheet. Mr Bhosale's car was hit near Koregaon Park in Pune, but the bullet missed him and hit its driver, injuring him.

Mr Bhosale, who is now part of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, told NDTV that his 'supari' was gifted by the manufacturer, which is not being named as the accused in the Porsche case is a minor. The grandfather was also listed as a defendant in the indictment, but was not arrested. The attempt to murder case is now part of a cluster of cases against Chhota Rajan pending before a CBI court in Mumbai.