Attempts were made to show teen was not behind wheel of Porsche: Pune police chief
Pune (PTI): Attempts were made to project that the 17-year-old minor who allegedly crashed his Porsche car into a motorbike killing two persons was not at the wheel and instead, an adult was driving it at the time of the accident, said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Friday.
The city police chief told reporters an internal inquiry has pointed to lapses on the part of some cops while registering the case and action will be taken against them for destruction of evidence. He rejected allegations of "preferential" treatment to the juvenile inside the police station.
“During our investigation, it has clearly emerged that the juvenile was driving the car and we have already 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,” he said.
On the basis of technical and CCTV evidence, it is confirmed that the car was being driven by the juvenile, the police chief said.
Eyewitnesses have also corroborated that the teenager, son of real estate developer Vishal Agarwal, was driving the Porsche at the time of the accident, he said.
Kumar said attempts were made to show that an adult, the family driver, was at the wheel and not the teen when the vehicle fatally knocked down two persons in the city’s Kalyani Nagar area around 3 am on Sunday.
“We are investigating these things and will take action against those who made such attempts, under section 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC,” he said.
Asked about blood samples, Kumar said the juvenile was sent to Sassoon Hospital around 9 am on Sunday after an offence was registered. “There was a delay in taking blood samples as they were collected at 11 pm but the blood report is not the pillar of our case,” he said.
He said the case has been registered under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and that the juvenile was fully aware that driving in an inebriated state would lead to this kind of offence and people’s lives would be lost.
As a pre-emptive measure, extra blood samples were collected for testing at another lab to ensure that both samples and DNA reports were of the same person.
“We have not received the blood reports but the process is being expedited,” he said.
In the initial FIR, section 304 A (death by negligence) applied but, it was revised with section 304 the same day as the crime warranted that section, he said.
Evidence from all corners is being collected to make it a “watertight” case. An ACP-level officer is being entrusted with the probe to ascertain if there was any attempt to tamper with or destroy evidence.
He also said special counsels will be appointed to aggressively put forth the police side in court.
Kumar responded to complaints about lapses and allegations that some cops were “managed”, saying the police have taken a stringent approach from the beginning.
“So it is not correct to say there was pressure on police or dereliction on the part of cops. But a probe is underway to find out why section 304 was not added in the first place,” he said,
The senior police official also rejected allegations that pizzas and burgers were provided to the juvenile at the police station. “There is no truth in the ‘pizza party allegation’,” he said.
There are complaints that some eyewitnesses were pressured, he said, adding, “If such things come to the fore, strict action will be taken against the police officer concerned,” he said.
A Porsche, allegedly driven by the 17-year-old, who the police claim was drunk at the time, fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne software engineers in the city in the early hours of Sunday.
The teenager was then produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail while asking him to write a 300-word essay.
Following an outcry over quick bail and the police's review plea, the JJB on Wednesday remanded the teen, son of real estate developer Vishal Agarwal, to the observation home till June 5.
The police have also arrested the teenager’s father.
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Rupee falls 32 paise to all-time low of 95.20 against US dollar
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI): The rupee depreciated 32 paise to an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, weighed down by elevated Brent crude oil prices, hovering around USD 122 per barrel, and strong American currency.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair may see further downside, as rising crude oil prices are likely to sharply impact India's import costs, while concerns over potential wider conflict in West Asia are fuelling investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, the US dollar added to gains after the US FED Reserve kept rates unchanged. Safe-haven demand was also boosted by another diplomatic setback between Washington and Tehran.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 95.01 against the US dollar, then lost some ground and touched an all-time low of 95.20 against the US dollar in initial trade, registering a fall of 32 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 20 paise to close at an all-time low of 94.88 against the US dollar.
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"The main effect on the rupee has been from the rising oil prices, which touched USD 120 per barrel and looked headed for further upside as the US continues with its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran does not allow any ship/tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.01 per cent higher at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 3.16 per cent at USD 121.76 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex tumbled 821.79 points to 76,674.57 in early trade, while the Nifty dived 287.3 points to 23,890.35.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 2,468.42 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue with their sale of Indian Equities and debt (the yield touched 7 per cent on Wednesday) and are also dollar buyers consistently," Bhansali added.
