The grandfather of the Pune teen, who ran over two 24-year-old techies in a late-night drunken dash in a Porsche, has been arrested after the family’s driver alleged that he was wrongfully confined, threatened and told to take the blame for the accident, sources in the police have said. He has been charged under IPC sections relating to kidnapping and wrongful confinement, the sources added.

Pune Police yesterday said efforts were made to force the driver to take blame minutes after the accident. After the accident, the grandfather locked up the driver and asked him to take the blame as the family tried to shield the minor, the sources said. He also told him that the family would ensure he is released too, the sources added.

“The teen’s grandfather and father allegedly took the driver’s phone, 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.

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. He was granted bail within 15 hours of the accident 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.

Amid nationwide outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board later modified the order and sent him to an observation home till a police plea for permission to try him as an adult is decided. The boy’s father and staff of two bars the teenager visited that night were also arrested under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The case has also brought under the spotlight the family’s links with the underworld. 

The matter dates back to a 2009 attack on a Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale. According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the boy’s grandfather was locked in a property dispute with his brother and had allegedly contacted Chhota Rajan to mediate. The gangster got in touch with Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale, who knew the brother. But Mr Bhosale was busy with the Assembly polls that year and refused to intervene. The boy’s grandfather suspected that the Shiv Sena leader was backing his brother and allegedly asked Chhota Rajan to bump him off, the CBI chargesheet said. The Shiv Sena leader’s car was fired at near Pune’s Koregaon Park, but the bullet missed him and hit his driver instead, injuring him.

Mr Bhosale, who is now with the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, has told NDTV that his ‘supari’ was given by the builder, who is not being named because the accused in the Porsche case is a minor. The grandfather was also listed as an accused in the chargesheet, but not arrested. The attempt to murder case is now part of a bunch of cases against Chhota Rajan pending before a Mumbai CBI court.

After the pizza-burger fiasco, in which the Pune teen who rammed his Porsche into two techies was allegedly given preferential treatment by the police, more lapses on the part of the cops have come to the fore, sources have said. 

Confirming earlier claims about this, the sources have said that the medical test of the teenager, who had been drinking before the deadly accident, had been delayed. 

The crash had taken place around 2.15 am on Sunday and the teenager and his two friends had been caught by a crowd immediately. The sources said procedure dictates that an accused be taken for a medical test as soon as possible but the teenager was escorted to a police station in Yerwada and the test did not happen until many hours later. 

Given that the 17-year-old had consumed liquor, the sources said that the delay could also influence the blood alcohol level found in the test. 

The teenager, who had been drinking with his friends in two pubs in Pune to celebrate his Class 12 results, had knocked down the two IT professionals – both 24 years old – in the Kalyani Nagar area. Aneesh Awadhiya, who was riding the bike was sent flying and hit a parked car, while Ashwini Koshta – who was riding pillion – was flung 20 feet into the air. Both of them had died on the spot. 

Another lapse that has been pointed out by the sources is that the cops did not inform the central police control room, which is part of the laid-down procedure. This is done to ensure that there is a proper record of cases and senior police officials can get involved if an incident demands their attention. 
 

New Delhi:

The 17-year-old boy who was driving the speeding Porsche that hit a bike in Pune on Saturday night, killing two techies in their 20s, was out on bail 15 hours after he was arrested.

The quick bail in a case where two people have died has triggered a huge outrage, with the police saying that efforts are on to try the teen as an adult.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told NDTV that the police are trying to prove a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder where there is knowledge that the act could cause death.

Referring to the bail order passed by the Juvenile Justice board on Sunday, Mr Kumar said that the accused in his plea mentioned that he is an alcohol addict to prove that he was not in his senses when the accident occurred.

“The accused has mentioned in his plea that he is addicted to alcohol. Irrespective of the blood report, we are trying to prove that he was fully in his senses to know that this rash act of his is likely to cause death,” Mr Kumar said.

He said that the police have contended before the court that the teen had consumed alcohol being a minor, but was in his senses to realise that his rash driving after alcohol consumption could cause death.

The Pune police Chief said that the police wants the teen to be sent to a remand home, till the court decides on their plea to prosecute him as an adult.

The teen who was at the wheel, son of a prominent realtor from the city, is just four months short of 18 years — the minimum age required to legally drive a car.

The minor was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on conditions — he has to work with traffic police in Yerwada for 15 days, write an essay on accidents, undergo treatment for his drinking habit and take counselling sessions.

His blood report is yet to be received but preliminary probe showed that the juvenile was drunk at the time of the accident, Mr Kumar said.

“The CCTV footage of the bar clearly shows that the juvenile was consuming alcohol. There is no doubt that the juvenile was driving the car after consuming alcohol. We will be submitting all these facts to the court,” he said.

The teen’s father has been arrested. Additionally, the owners of a couple of bars where the minor was served alcohol have also been arrested.

The accident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area.

The Porsche, which eyewitnesses have said was driving at over 200 km per hour and had no number plates, hit the bike. Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air and landed hard, said an eyewitness. Aneesh was thrown at a parked car and suffered serious injuries. Both died on the spot.

Bhopal:

The family of 25-year-old Ashwini Koshta is still in shock, The body of the young woman, who was mowed down by a drunk teen in Pune on a speeding Porsche, was brought to her home in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, today. Ashwini was one of the two persons hit by the vehicle at 2.15 am on Saturday. Her colleague Aneesh Awadhiya also died on the spot. Both were software engineers  working in Pune.

The teen who was at the wheel, son of a prominent realtor from the city, secured bail 15 hours after his arrest. He is just four months short of 18 years — the minimum age required to legally drive a car.

His lawyer said he has been asked to work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days, and would undergo psychiatric counselling. He has been also referred to an alcohol de-addiction centre.

The decision of the Juvenile Board that has sparked massive anger. Ashwini’s family said they are dismayed by the bail conditions and are ready to fight at every level to get her justice.

“We are in shock,” said her uncle Jugal Kishor Koshta. “It is condemnable that he should get bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini’s last rites are over tomorrow,” he added.  Asked if there was a possibility of political pressure in the case, he said it is “quite possible and elections are on anyway”.

“We want his bail cancelled and he should remain in police custody. Because of him, an innocent girl, who has seen nothing of life, died,” said her uncle Sachin Bokde.  

Ashwini’s father, Suresh Kumar Koshta, works as an office assistant in the state’s electricity department. One of his sons, Samprit Koshta, is a software engineer in Bengaluru.

A software engineer, Ashwini was living in Pune for the last two years. Her last appointment was with Amazon. A year ago, she switched jobs and joined Johnson Controls Company.

Early on Sunday, Ashwini was on way home with her colleague after dinner, when the accident took place. The minor at the wheels was out celebrating his Class 12 exam results. He was driving at 200 kmph when the Porsche hit the bike of the two engineers.

Eyewitnesses said Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air, Aneesh was also thrown and hit a parked car. Both died on the spot.

The teen got bail in record time. The police said efforts are on to try him as an adult. A case has been filed against his father. The pub that served him alcohol will be charged as well, the police said. The minimum legal age for drinking in India is 25 years.

Paris:

German sports carmaker Porsche on Thursday confirmed it had recalled several thousand of its electric Taycan model because of risks their batteries could catch fire.

Faulty cells in some batteries could short-circuit and ignite, a spokesperson said.

Some 858 Taycans were initially identified as being at risk and recalled in January, but after further checks the company determined that further vehicles could also be affected.

Porsche said 2,936 of the sporty four-door cars showed “anomalies”, which requires changing the modules on the 600-kilogram (1,300-pound) batteries housed under the car.

Another 4,522 Taycans have not been inspected and must be brought to repair shops for verification.

Renault, Ford and General Motors have all recently had to recall models due to defective batteries.

The cells for the Taycan’s batteries are manufactured by Korea’s LG, while the batteries themselves are assembled in Germany before being inserted into the cars at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory.

Launched in 2019, the Taycan sold more than 40,000 units in 2023, up 16.7 percent from the previous year.

As Porsche’s first electric model, it is key for the German brand, which expects 80 percent of its sales to be electric by 2030 as it gradually electrifies the rest of its range, from the small Macan SUV this year to the sporty 718 in 2025.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)