A court in Angamaly has granted police custody of four accused in the Mini Cooper crash near Kochi that killed three youngsters, allowing investigators to question them until 5 pm on Thursday. The development comes as the Kerala government faces questions in the state Assembly over the handling of the case.
The accused, including 19-year-old driver 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 had sought their custody for further questioning in connection with the crash. A police officer confirmed that the court granted custody until 5 pm on Thursday.
The crash took place early on Sunday at Nedumbassery near Kochi. Three youngsters, aged around 21, including two women, were killed when the speeding Mini Cooper allegedly driven by Suhail hit their scooter. The police account has identified suspected speeding and alcohol use as central elements of the investigation, but the allegations remain subject to the legal process.
A medical examination reportedly found a high level of alcohol in the accused driver’s bloodstream. Following the examination, police invoked additional charges against the accused. The charges include Section 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, concerning rash driving, along with Sections 49 and 3(5), relating to abetment and common intention. Police have also invoked Section 105 of the BNS, covering culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which concerns driving by a drunken person.
The custody order gives investigators a limited period to question the accused and examine the circumstances surrounding the collision. The supplied report does not provide further details on the evidence being collected, the sequence of events before the crash, or whether investigators have completed all forensic and vehicle-related examinations.
The case also entered the political sphere on Wednesday, when Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala assured the state Assembly that strong action would be taken against the accused. He was responding to a submission by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, who cited media reports alleging delays in registering the first information report, arresting the driver and conducting his medical examination.
The competing claims place the investigation’s procedural timeline under scrutiny alongside the allegations arising from the crash. The immediate legal milestone is the end of the police custody period at 5 pm on Thursday, after which the accused are expected to be presented before the court for further directions.
