A court in Angamaly has granted police custody of four accused in the Mini Cooper crash near Kochi that killed three young people, allowing investigators to question them in connection with the fatal collision until 5 pm on Thursday.
The accused, including 19-year-old Suhail, were produced before the court after being remanded to judicial custody and sent to a Borstal school, a correctional facility for young offenders, police said. The police had sought custody for further questioning into the crash at Nedumbassery early on Sunday.
Three people aged around 21, including two women, died when the Mini Cooper, allegedly driven by Suhail at high speed and under the influence of alcohol, hit their scooter. The allegations remain subject to the investigation and court proceedings.
A medical examination reportedly found a high level of alcohol in the accused driver’s bloodstream. Following the examination, police invoked additional charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act. The charges cited in the report include Section 281 of the BNS for rash driving, Section 49 for abetment, Section 3(5) relating to common intention, Section 105 for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act for driving by a drunken person.
The case has also raised questions about the speed and sequence of the police response. Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told the state Assembly on Wednesday that strong action would be taken against the accused. He was responding to a submission by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, who referred to media reports alleging delays in registering the first information report, arresting the driver and conducting his medical examination.
The custody order gives investigators additional time to question the accused as they examine the circumstances of the collision, the alleged use of alcohol and the conduct of the investigation after the crash. The four accused are expected to remain in police custody until 5 pm on Thursday, when they will be produced before the court for further proceedings.
