The investigation into the Mini Cooper crash near Kochi airport has intensified after police said the blood-alcohol level of 19-year-old prime accused Suhail Sajeev was around five times the permissible limit. The finding, recorded in a medical examination report, prompted investigators to invoke additional charges, according to police.
The crash took place early on October 11 on the Athani-Airport road in Nedumbassery, when the speeding Mini Cooper allegedly driven by Sajeev under the influence of alcohol collided with a scooter. Three youngsters, including two women, died in the collision. All three victims were around 21 years old, police said.
Sajeev was taken to the accident site on Thursday as part of the investigation to help police collect evidence. He remained inside the police vehicle because a large crowd had gathered at the spot, officials said. Officers recorded his account of the incident inside the vehicle rather than bringing him out at the scene.
The police also took the accused to the Courtyard by Marriott in Nedumbassery, one of three bars that Sajeev and the other accused had allegedly visited before the crash. The locations were visited as investigators continued gathering evidence about the events preceding the collision.
Three other accused — Ninav, Ameer and Joel — were in the car when the crash occurred, police said. The four accused were scheduled to be produced before the court on Thursday 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.
The decision to lodge the accused at the borstal school had drawn widespread criticism. The victims’ families alleged that Sajeev’s wealthy parents were attempting to influence the investigation. The allegation was not established in the material available for this report.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala later said that the court decides where remanded accused are lodged. He assured the victims’ families that no special treatment would be given to the accused and that justice would be ensured.
The latest evidence collection comes as investigators examine both the circumstances of the crash and the accused group’s movements before the collision. The next immediate procedural step was the production of the four accused before the court following the completion of police custody.
