Vishal Agarwal, the father of the Pune teenager who crashed a Porsche into two techies, killing them on the spot, has been remanded in police custody for two days. The real estate agent was apprehended on Tuesday from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, where he had purportedly fled to avoid law enforcement.
The accident took place around 2.15 am on Sunday, when the 17-year-old, who had been drinking with friends at two pubs in Pune to mark his Class 12 results, struck the two IT professionals in the Kalyani Nagar vicinity.
At 17 years and 8 months old, the teenager is four months shy of the legal driving age and more than seven years below Maharashtra’s legal drinking age.
The father has been charged under Sections 75 (willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses) and 77 (supplying a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs) of the Juvenile Justice Act. Furthermore, Naman Bhutada (25), proprietor of the Cosie pub in Mundhwa, and Sachin Kaatkar (35), an employee at the establishment, have also been apprehended by authorities.
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Additionally, Sandip Sangle (35), an assistant restaurant manager at the Blak Marriott pub, also located in Mundhwa, has been taken into custody. It’s been reported that the underage driver had visited these establishments to revel with friends prior to the incident.
Meanwhile, the Pune police has approached the sessions court challenging the bail ruling issued by the Juvenile Justice Board and sought authorisation to treat the individual as an adult, citing the ‘heinous’ nature of the crime. However, the court directed the police to present their case to the Juvenile Justice Board for reconsideration of the decision.
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In its ruling on Sunday, the board stipulated that the Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL) would be released on bail upon furnishing a personal bond and surety bond of Rs 7,500 with conditions including that his parents oversee his care and ensure his abstention from future offenses.
Additionally, the board mandated the CCL to visit the Regional Transport Office to familiarise himself with traffic regulations and deliver a presentation to the board within 15 days. “The CCL will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions,” the order read.