The grandfather of the 17-year-old teenager, who crushed to death two software engineers in Pune with his Porsche, threatened the family's driver against discussing the incident with anyone.
The driver, in his statement to the police, confirmed that he was asked to take the blame for the accident and was forcibly taken to a bungalow where the grandfather Surendra Kumar Agarwal warned him against opening his mouth.
"He (teen's grandfather) first called me up and screamed at me over the phone. Then, he forcibly took me to their bungalow in their BMW car," the driver told the cops.
A court in Pune remanded Agarwal, who was arrested earlier today, in police custody till May 28. The minor's father Vishal, who has been sent to judicial custody till June 7, was also present when the driver was threatened and his mobile phone snatched.
The Juvenile Justice Board, on May 22, remanded the minor to an observation home till June 5.
Vishal, a real estate developer, and his father have been booked under IPC sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement).
According to Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, the driver was promised a cash reward if he told the police that he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident.
"Pressure was created on him. After the accident, the driver was questioned at the police station. When the questioning was over, he wanted to go home, but he (the teen's grandfather) forcibly took him to their home, snatched his phone and confined him," the top cop said.
The driver and his family will be provided police protection, Kumar said.
The speeding luxury car, allegedly driven by the teen, fatally knocked down the motorbike-borne techies - Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa - in Kalyani Nagar area in the wee hours of May 19.
The Pune police on May 24 (Friday) suspended two cops, including an inspector from Yerwada police station, for delayed reporting and dereliction of duty in the case. According to the Pune police commissioner, the policemen faced action as their conduct was not appropriate.
The Madhya Pradesh-based parents of the two IT professionals (Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa) who were killed in the accident on May 19 have demanded that the Supreme Court monitor the probe and the trial be held in their state.
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