Pune Accident: How The Cops Foiled Teen Father's Elaborate Escape Plan

Pune police thwarted the escape attempt of Vishal Agrwal, a prominent realtor, who was arrested on Tuesday. Agrwal's 17-year-old son was allegedly involved in a car accident that killed two software engineers in Pune.

The accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Kalyani Nagar. A Porsche, allegedly driven by Agrwal's minor son who was reportedly intoxicated, fatally struck two motorbike-borne software engineers, Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa.

The Escape Plan

To evade arrest, Agrwal devised an elaborate escape plan. After an FIR was filed against him for allowing his underage son to drive, Agrwal left his home and directed his driver to head towards Mumbai. He also instructed another driver to take a different car to Goa. Midway to Mumbai, Agrwal switched to a friend's car and continued towards Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), using multiple vehicles to confuse the police. He also used a new SIM card to avoid tracking, according to a report by NDTV.

Despite not informing his family about his whereabouts, which led them to believe he was in Mumbai, police tracked Agrwal's friend's car via its GPS. The Pune crime branch used CCTV footage to identify him and eventually arrested him at a lodge in Sambhajinagar.

Case

A case has been registered against Agrwal under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 75 deals with the "willful neglect of a child," while section 77 addresses supplying a child with intoxicating substances. Meanwhile, his son faces charges under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. The Juvenile Justice Board granted the minor bail hours after the crash, with conditions aimed at his rehabilitation and awareness.

The court mandated that the teenager work with the traffic police in Yerawada for 15 days, write an essay on the accident, receive treatment to quit drinking, and undergo psychiatric counseling, with a report to be submitted.

The tragic incident occurred around 3:15 am when the speeding Porsche hit the victims from behind as they traveled on their motorcycle, causing instantaneous death. The car then crashed into roadside railings. The FIR details that the accident happened as a group of friends was returning home on their motorcycles after a party at a Kalyani Nagar restaurant.

Public outrage has followed the incident and the court's decision to grant bail to the teenager. Agrwal was detained in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and brought back to Pune, where he was placed under arrest on Tuesday evening. He is set to be produced before a city court today.