All the six accused arrested in the case including the teen's father, Vishal Agarwal, were remanded to judicial custody by a local court.
Amid the suspension of two officials over lapses in the investigation into the Porsche crash case, Pune police chief said that an attempt was made to prove that the 17-year-old boy was not behind the wheels when the luxury car fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne techies.
Meanwhile, the grandfather of the teenager, who was arrested for 'wrongful confinement' of family driver, as been produced in the court. Police sought seven days custody of him, as per PTI.
Notably, the probe was transferred from the Yerawada police station to the Crime Branch late on Friday. All the six accused arrested in the case including the teen's father, Vishal Agarwal, were remanded to judicial custody by a local court.
The 17-year-old boy, who had been drinking with his friends to celebrate his Class 12 results, crashed his luxury vehicle -- Porsche Taycan -- into a motorcycle on Sunday, May 19, leaving two 24-year-old techies dead.
Police officials said that the 17-year-old boy's grandfather has been arrested for "wrongful confinement" of the family's driver.
The Yerawada police registered a separate offence against the teen's grandfather and father -- Vishal Agarwal -- after the family driver filed a complaint.
The two have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement).
“After the car crash, the teen's grandfather and father allegedly kept the driver's phone with them 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, a Crime branch official said.
Agarwal and his father allegedly threatened the driver, asking him to take the blame by claiming that he was at the wheel when the Porsche crashed into the motorcycle.
The Pune police chief on Friday said that an attempt was made to establish that the 17-year-old boy was not driving the Porsche car when it knocked down and killed two IT professionals.
Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar told reporters that there was enough evidence to show that the teenager was driving the car.
"We have the CCTV footage of him (juvenile) drinking liquor in the pub.....He was fully in his senses, he had full knowledge that due to his conduct, such an accident, where IPC section 304 is applicable, can happen,” Kumar said.
IPC Section 304 pertains to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
He said during their investigation, it was clearly established that the teen was driving the car, adding that the cops have collected "all the necessary chronological evidence".
"For example, when the juvenile left the house, the entry on the security register shows that he left with the car," the commissioner said.
The driver employed by the juvenile's family was present in the car, officials noted. Attempts were made to show that the driver was at the wheels at the time of the accident and not the teenager.
After the accident, the driver initially claimed he was driving the car, the commissioner said, adding, "Why and under whose pressure he said that will be disclosed at an appropriate time."
Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar noted that an inquiry was underway into the alleged lapses on part of police. Inspectors Rahul Jagdale and assistant police inspector Vishwanath Todkari -- both of Yerawada police station -- were suspended for "late reporting" and "dereliction of duty".
Additionally, Kumar clarified that a pizza party did not take place in the police station. "But yes, something had happened on which we have initiated an internal investigation,” he added.
The Pune police chief noted that the 17-year-old boy was sent to the Sassoon General Hospital around 9 am on Sunday and his blood samples were collected at 11 am, asserting that "blood report is not the pillar of our case".
He said that as a precautionary measure, another blood sample was collected around 7 or 8 pm in the evening for "DNA sampling". "We are expecting blood and DNA reports by next week," Kumar added.
Police commissioner Kumar said that initially Section 304 A (death by negligence) was applied to the FIR, however it was later revised with Section 304 on the same day as the crime required that section.
A local court sent the six arrested accused, including the teenager's father Vishal Agarwal, to judicial custody, even though police had asked for their extended custody.
Agarwal was arrested for "exposing a child to danger", while the owner and employees of the two bars where the teen had consumed alcohol were held for "serving liquor to an underage person".
Prosecution on Friday sought for their extended custody, but the Sessions court remanded all six accused in judicial custody till June 7. They are expected to file bail applications next week.
The parents of the two IT professionals, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, who were killed in the May 19 accident, have said that they will not rest till they get justice.
They demanded the Supreme Court to monitor the probe and that a trial be held in their state.
Ashwini's father, Suresh Kumar Koshta, told reporters that the Supreme Curt should monitor the investigation and the trial.
"I am going to fight for justice till my last breath," Anish's father Om Prakash Awadhiya said over the phone. The trial should be held in Madhya Pradesh and not in Pune, he demanded.
Amid the Maharashtra Excise Department's seal on the two bars -- Cosie restaurant and Hotel Blak Club -- that were visited by the juvenile, scores of employees from such establishments held protests in Pune on Friday, saying that they were losing their livelihood due to the actions taken by police.
"We are facing the brunt of the fault of two bars," said an employee of a bar.
Around 2,500 employees along with the owners of bars and pubs gathered at the Raja Bahadur Mills near Pune station area.
Following the accident in Kalyaninagar, the district administration has been taking action against several bars and pubs. As many as 32 such establishments across Pune have faced action on the basis of the Pune Collector's orders.
An employee at a pub in Mundhwa area said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they suffered a lot.
"Now after the accident, we are again made to suffer. We have our families to look after. As action is being taken against pubs, we are on the brink of losing our jobs," he said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar called for stringent actions against those responsible for the car crash case in Pune.
"Probe into the case should be conducted without interference from any political person. Whatever happened was serious and such incidents should be curbed and stringent action should be taken against those who are responsible in the case," Pawar told reporters.
He said that he was talking regular updates on the developments from the Pune Police, adding that there had been no political interference in the case and investigation is being done in a transparent manner.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Ravindra Dhangekar wrote a letter to Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, demanding that the probe be led by a retired judge.
"Pune is an educational capital. A large number of students from different parts of the state are in the city to study. Pune is widely known as a peaceful city. However, the pub culture is on the rise in the city," he said.
Dhangekar further said, "The pubs which are operating late at night are creating trouble for many. Moreover, the younger generation is getting addicted to pub culture and their lives seem to be getting ruined."
The Kalyani Nagar incident should be led by a retired judge, he said.
The Pune district administration is exploring the idea of entry and exit points of pubs and bars in the city to ensure better compliance with rules and regulations, an official said on Saturday.
The plan to live-stream the entry and exits comes in the backdrop of the Porsche crash, allegedly driven by a teen, that killed two techies.
No underage person should enter a bar or pub and these establishments should adhere to prescribed time limits, the official said.
“In the present setup, it is difficult to physically monitor what actually is happening (outside bars and pubs) but it is possible with new technologies like webcasting. We successfully used webcasting during elections and more than 50 per cent of polling booths were webcast and we could see what was happening there,” he added.
“With webcasting, we can monitor the exit and entry points of these establishments and also keep a close watch on closure timings,” the official said.
(with PTI inputs)