The blood alcohol level of Suhail Sajeev, the 19-year-old prime accused in the fatal Mini Cooper crash near Kochi airport, was around five times the permissible limit, police said, as investigators collected evidence at the accident site and at bars the accused allegedly visited before the collision.
The medical examination report prompted police to invoke additional charges against Sajeev, according to the report. The crash occurred early on October 11 on the Athani-Airport road in Nedumbassery when a speeding Mini Cooper allegedly driven by Sajeev under the influence of alcohol hit a scooter.
Three youngsters, including two women, died in the collision. All three victims were around 21 years old, police said. Three other accused — Ninav, Ameer and Joel — were also in the car when the crash occurred.
On Thursday, police took Sajeev to the accident site to collect evidence. He remained inside the police vehicle because a large crowd had gathered at the location, officials said. Investigators recorded his account of the incident inside the vehicle rather than bringing him out at the scene.
Police also took the accused to the Courtyard by Marriott in Nedumbassery, one of three bars that they had allegedly visited before the crash. The evidence-collection exercise covered both the road where the collision took place and locations linked to the hours preceding it, officials said.
The movement of the accused came as the four men were scheduled to be produced before a court after the end of their police custody. They had earlier been remanded to the Thrikkakara Borstal School, which houses offenders aged between 18 and 21.
That remand decision had drawn criticism from the victims’ families and others. Family members alleged that Sajeev’s wealthy parents were attempting to influence the investigation. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala later said that the court decides where remanded accused are lodged and assured the families that no special treatment would be given.
The case places the focus on how a fatal crash allegedly involving alcohol, speed and multiple occupants is investigated. The police evidence collection at the airport road and the establishments the accused allegedly visited is expected to form part of the investigation into the sequence of events before the collision.
The immediate legal process is now centred on the accused being produced before the court after police custody ends. The investigation will proceed through the collected site evidence, the medical examination report and accounts recorded by police, while the court will determine the next stage of custody and proceedings.
