Car crash: No relief for Pune teen driver, his observation home remand extended till June 25

PUNE: The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) here on Wednesday extended till June 25 the observation home remand of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in a car crash that killed two IT engineers in Pune last month.

The Pune police through prosecutors sought the extension of the juvenile's custody for another 14 days at the observation home citing his safety. He was in the observation home remand till June 12.

They also told the board that the teen's release at the current juncture may hinder the ongoing investigation into the case and other related matters, including alleged swapping of his blood samples taken after the May 19 accident.

The defence opposed the Pune police's remand extension plea and told the board the minor must be released from the observation facility.

After hearing arguments of both sides, the JJB extended the boy's stay at the observation home till June 25.

The Porsche car driven by the teenager, son of builder Vishal Agrawal, crashed into a motorbike in the early hours of May 19, killing IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both hailing from Madhya Pradesh, in Kalyani Nagar. The teen was driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police.

The boy's parents are in police custody in connection with a case related to alleged swapping of his blood samples at the state-run Sassoon General Hospital.

Besides the minor's parents, the police have also arrested his grandfather Surendra Agarwal for allegedly kidnapping the family's driver and putting pressure on him to take the blame for the accident, among other charges.

The other persons arrested in the case are two doctors and an employee of Sassoon General Hospital for allegedly swapping the blood samples of the minor boy with those of his mother's.

The police have registered three separate cases in connection with the accident. The cases include an FIR in connection with the accident and the second one against the pub that allegedly served liquor to the juvenile.

The police have booked the boy's father for allowing him to drive the car without a valid license.

A third case is about wrongful confinement and coercion of the family driver to take the blame for the fatal accident.