Pune: Yerwada Police Mishandling Leads to Crime Branch Investigation in Porsche Accident Case
Reported by Mubarak Ansari & Tikam Shekhawat
Yerwada, 24th May 2024: Six days after the Porsche car accident in Kalyani Nagar, which resulted in the deaths of two IT professionals, the investigation of the case has been transferred to Pune Police’s Crime Branch. Initially, the case was handled by an Assistant Police Inspector (suspended today) of Yerwada police station, before being investigated by the Divisional ACP.
DCP (Crime) Amol Zende confirmed the transfer of the case to the Crime Branch now.
Following backlash from citizens and media over the mishandling of the case, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar today suspended Police Inspector Rahul Jagdale and Assistant Police Inspector Vishwanath Todkari. They have been accused of failing to inform senior officers and the police control room after arriving at the accident scene as well as negligence in handling the case.
The accident occurred around 2:30 am on Sunday (May 19) near Landmark Garden Society on Kalyani Nagar – Airport Road. After consuming liquor at parties in two pubs, a 17-year-old driver sped a Porsche car over 160 km per hour and hit a bike from behind, resulting in the deaths of IT engineers Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both natives of Madhya Pradesh.
The FIR was registered five hours later, and the accused driver was released on bail within 15 hours of the incident. Following nationwide attention, police filed a revision application, after which the teen driver was remanded to an observation home for 14 days. The case was investigated by ACP Arti Bansode and will now be probed by ACP (Crime 1) Sunil Tambe of the Crime Branch.
The Crime Branch is also investigating another FIR registered at Yerwada police station against the teen driver’s father, Vishal Agarwal, owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure, for allowing his minor son to consume liquor and drive a vehicle without a license. A total of six persons have been arrested, including Agarwal, and the owners and managers of pubs Cosie and Blak Club, Marriott Suites in Koregaon Park area.
