Cash, Kidnapping: How Pune Teen's Family Tried To Shift Blame After Crash

The Pune crash, where two techies were killed after being hit by a Porsche, has gripped the entire nation with the police investigation unveiling a new twist every day. Pune Police today revealed that the family of the 17-year-old who was allegedly driving the car made efforts to pin the blame on a driver.

Two engineers -- Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya -- were on the bike when the Porsche, being driven at 200 km per hour, hit their bike from behind. The two died on the spot. Police have said the 17-year-old accused, son of a prominent Pune realtor, was heavily drunk at the time of the accident.

Minutes after the accident, the teen's father called the driver and offered him a reward in lieu of a cash reward. They asked the driver to switch places with the boy and tell the police that he was driving the car.

When the driver turned down the offer, they tried to threaten him into accepting that he was behind the wheel when the accident took place, police said.

"The teen's family driver was offered allurements and later threatened to take the blame for the Porsche crash," Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said in a press conference today.

The driver has filed a police complaint where he also claims that the teen's grandfather locked him up and did not allow him to go home for two days. Police have registered a kidnapping case and arrested the grandfather.

"The teen's grandfather and father allegedly took the driver's phone and put him in confinement in his house on the premises of their bungalow from May 19 to May 20. The driver was freed by his wife," said an official from the crime branch, which is probing the case.

Cops said that they have CCTV footage and other evidence to prove that the teen, who was drunk, was driving the Porsche. The boy had gone out to celebrate with his friends after passing his Class 12 board exams.  

After partying at a posh Pune club, where they ran up a bill of Rs 48,000, the boy fought with the driver for the keys of the car. The driver initially resisted, but allowed the teen to drive after a call with the boy's father.

Driving at 200 kmph, the teen crashed into a bike killing two 24-year-old software engineers from Madhya Pradesh. He was taken into custody by police at 3 am, and granted bail within 15 hours on the conditions seen as flimsy. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days, and seek counselling for his drinking habit.

But the Juvenile Justice Board later modified the order and sent him to a remand home till June 5. The police have requested the board permission to try the teen as an adult.

The case has sparked outrage across the nation with several protests being held seeking swift justice.