Parents of minor in case of destruction of evidence in police custody until June 5

PUNE: A Pune court on Sunday remanded the parents of a 17-year-old boy, allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident, to police custody till June 5 in a case related to destruction of evidence.

The duo is being investigated for their alleged role in tampering with the minor’s blood sample following the May 19 car accident in the city of Pune in Maharashtra state that left two IT professionals dead.

The minor’s mother, Shivani Agarwal, was arrested on June 1 after it was revealed that the boy’s blood samples had been replaced with hers.

Police had taken his father, real estate agent Vishal Agrawal, into custody. He had been arrested earlier in a similar case for allegedly being involved in the destruction of evidence.

Police produced the duo before a holiday court in the city of Pune in Maharashtra state and sought their remand, which was granted till June 5.

Police told the court that the Agarwal couple had plotted to destroy evidence related to the accident.

They went to a state hospital and tampered with the minor’s blood samples, police said.

The couple’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, said the police had already searched their house and seized footage from the video surveillance installed there.

They were charged under Section 201 of the Penal Code (causing disappearance of evidence of a crime), which carries a bail order.

Therefore, they should be remanded in custody, Patil said.

In addition to the minor’s parents, the police also arrested his grandfather, Surendra Agarwal. He is accused, among other things, of kidnapping the family driver and pressuring him to take responsibility for the accident.

The other people in police custody are two doctors from the state-run Sassoon General Hospital and a staff member who are accused of switching the minor boy’s blood samples.

The police have registered three cases in connection with the car accident.

The three cases include an FIR related to the accident and a second case against the bar that allegedly served alcohol to the youth.

Police arrested the boy’s father for allowing him to drive without a valid driver’s license.

A third case concerns the unlawful imprisonment and coercion of the driver’s family to take responsibility for the accident.