Pune: The father of the minor driver involved in a Porsche car accident that killed two people was arrested on Tuesday in Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar, Pune police reported.
Additionally, the owners and staff of two restaurants were also taken into custody.
A senior official stated that the boy’s father was brought to Pune following his arrest.
“The father had been evading arrest since the offense was registered. This morning, we detained him and, upon his arrival in Pune, he will be formally arrested,” said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar earlier on Tuesday.
Among those arrested were Pralhad Bhutada, owner of Cosie, and Sandip Sangale, owner of Blak Club.
“We arrested the license holders of two restaurants and one more person late last night, and they will be produced in court today,” said Kumar.
The minor’s father, a prominent real estate developer from the city, owned the Porsche driven without a registration number.
VEDANT AGARWAL
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 20, 2024
Age: 17 years, 8 months
Location: Pune
Father: Vishal Agarwal, Owner, Bramha Realty
Car: Porsche Taycan
Speed: 150 km/h
Registration: Unregistered
Number: No license plate
Victims: Two 24-yr-old IT engineers from M.P.
Time for grant of bail: 15 hours pic.twitter.com/iGNTuB5XAB
The arrests followed a day after the teenager’s father and four others, including the owners and managers of Cosie and Blak Club, were booked under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) and the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) for failing to perform their duties as guardians.
According to officials, Yerawada police arrested the father for allowing the minor to drive without a license, while the restaurant owners and staff were booked for serving liquor to the minor.
The police have imposed several charges under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, including section 3 (prohibiting driving without a valid license), section 5 (holding the vehicle owner responsible for ensuring that unlicensed individuals do not drive), and section 199A (presuming the guardian’s consent if a juvenile uses a motor vehicle). They were also charged under sections 75 (punishment for neglecting a child) and 77 (punishment for exploiting a child employee) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The action was taken after police discovered that the Porsche bought for his son in March this year was not yet registered.