Indus Valley Times

Pune,May 21 :  The Pune Police have arrested the father of a 17-year-old boy, who crashed his speeding Porsche into a bike and killed two people. Vishal Agrawal was arrested from Maharashtra’s Aurangabad based on a case registered against him on Monday (May 20).

A real estate developer, Vishal Agrawal, was on the run. The Pune Police formed several teams for further probe, and he was arrested early on Tuesday morning from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar area.

On eary Sunday morning, the Pune teenager ran his sports car over a couple who were on a two-wheeler. The minor – who was under the influence of alcohol – and two others were taken into police custody, but the 17-year-old was granted bail by a district court within 14 hours of his detention. This sparked massive outrage and later Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told India Today TV that they sought a higher court’s permission to try the teenager as an adult.

The Pune teen was granted bail after the district court cited that the crime was not “serious” enough to deny him bail. The bail was, however, granted on certain conditions, including undergoing psychiatric evaluation and treatment, working alongside traffic police for 15 days, and writing a 300-word essay on the “effect of road accidents and their solution”, among others.

Pune top cop Amitesh Kumar told India Today TV that the accused were booked under Section 304 of the IPC and that they have moved a higher court to try the 17-year-old as an adult. “We will not leave any stone unturned to prove that this is a heinous crime,” he said.

The father of the teenager, Vishal Agrawal, and the bar which served liquor to the 17-year-old are being proceeded against under Sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The deadly crash happened early on Sunday (May 19) morning when the teenager, along with his friends, were in the Porsche. The minor, under the influence of alcohol, was driving the sports car at a high speed when he rammed a bike with his vehicle, killing two people on the two-wheeler. The Porsche was registered in his father’s name and did not have a number plate, the police said.

The victims have been identified as Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, his partner. They were both 24-years-old and worked in the IT sector. According to the police FIR, Koshta died on the spot, while Awadhiya succumbed to injuries at the hospital.

CCTV footage surfaced online after the incident that showed people thrashing the teenager at the accident scene. Another video showed the accused minor and his friends in a bar and drinking before the accident.

An eyewitness told India Today that there were three people in the Porsche, but one of them fled the accident scene after the crash. All three occupants of the sports car were drunk, the eyewitness alleged.

The accused teenager’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, said that they are following the process of law and the investigating agencies “have done their work”. “The accused is entitled to get bail. Everyone is acting as per the law. We will argue on the merits of law,” he added.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar earlier said that they are investigating as to why there was no number plate on the car and for how long the temporary number plate was put up.

The uncle of one of the victims slammed the Maharashtra Police for inaction. Akhilesh Awadhiya, uncle of Aneesh Awadhiya, said the bail conditions imposed on the accused teenager were ridiculous and called the minor a “human bomb”. “According to the new act, the punishment should be seven years. Bail conditions are ridiculous. They are even taught to students of Class 5. He was driving a car worth Rs 3 crore. Just because he is the son of a business tycoon, he was released,” Akhilesh Awadhiya added.

-PTI