Police form more than 12 teams to investigate multiple aspects of Pune accident case

The car involved in Pune car crash. Pic/PTI

Police have formed more than a dozen teams comprising 100 personnel to look into various aspects of the wide-range investigation into the Pune accident case allegedly involving a minor driver, an official said. The police have registered three separate cases after the car allegedly driven by a minor boy fatally knocked down two IT professionals travelling on a motorbike in Kalyani Nagar area of Maharashtra's Pune city on May 19, reported news agency PTI.

The three cases include an FIR in connection with the Pune accident case and the second one against the bar that allegedly served liquor to the juvenile. Police have booked the boy's father, a builder, for allowing him to drive the car without a valid license. A third case is about the wrongful confinement and coercion of the family driver to take the blame for the accident.

Among the boy's family members, police have so far arrested his father, grandfather, and his (juvenile's) mother after confirmation that his blood samples were replaced with hers, Pune police chief Amitesh Kumar said on Saturday. Other persons in police custody are two doctors of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital and an employee for allegedly swapping the blood sample of the minor boy, reported PTI.

Police have invoked provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Juvenile Justice Act, Motor Vehicles Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused in the cases registered in connection with the incident. "To ensure that the probe is conducted professionally and effectively, we have deployed multiple teams. Approximately 100 police personnel, including officers, are looking after different aspects of the case," Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shailesh Balkawade said, reported PTI.

Police have formed three teams comprising 8 to 10 personnel each for investigating the three registered cases, two teams for documentation to strengthen the cases, a team for CCTV footage monitoring, three teams for technical analysis and as many for field operations. One team each is assigned the task of escorting the accused and for communication, reported PTI.

"This multi-faceted approach aims to cover all aspects of the investigation, ensuring thorough and meticulous handling of the case," said Balkawade. As part of the probe, the police have also spoken to the minor for about an hour at the observation home, where he has been sent till June 5, in his mother's presence. An official, however, said "they were not forthcoming during the probe", reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)