Pune Porsche Accident: Police Allege Builder's Family Pressured Driver To Take Blame On Behalf Of Minor Accused

The Pune Police have claimed that the family of the 17-year-old involved in a fatal Porsche Taycan accident pressured the driver, Gangadhar, to take the blame.

The incident, which occurred on 19 May in Kalyani Nagar, resulted in the deaths of two young IT professionals.

According to Pune's Commissioner of Police, Amitesh Kumar, the builder's wife urged the driver to claim responsibility for the accident, as per a report by Hindustan Times.

The minor’s father, Vishal Agarwal, and grandfather, Surendra Agarwal, who are both in custody, allegedly pressured Gangadhar with offers of money and gifts, and threatened him to accept the blame.

In an interview, Commissioner Kumar stated, “We have recorded the driver’s statement. He mentioned that around 2:45 AM on Sunday (after the accident), the builder called him and instructed him to claim he was driving the car. The builder’s wife emotionally requested him to take responsibility. The family offered various enticements for his compliance.”

On Saturday, following a complaint from Gangadhar, the Pune Police charged Vishal and Surendra with IPC sections 365 and 368 for kidnapping, threatening, and confining the driver to their Wadgaonsheri residence to force him to confess. The police have also sought custody of the BMW in which the driver was allegedly kidnapped.

The police have also mentioned Surendra’s alleged criminal past, including cases of cheating, attempted murders, and making criminal threats, to justify his custody and protect the driver.

Vishal Agarwal, already in jail for another case related to the accident, was also named in the First Information Report (FIR).

The minor involved in the crash is currently in a government observatory home in Yerawada after the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) cancelled his bail plea on Wednesday.

Commissioner Kumar explained that after the accident, the driver was taken to the police station but was later coerced by the family to take the blame.

The driver’s wife, who went searching for him at the builder’s bungalow, was also pressured to convince her husband to take responsibility.

Following these events, the driver went underground for two days and resurfaced on Thursday, when he revealed the truth during questioning by the crime branch.

Given the criminal background of the boy’s grandfather, the driver has been placed under round-the-clock protection under the Witness Protection Act.

Now, the crime branch is investigating three aspects of the case: the accident, the case against the minor’s father and pubs, and the new case of abduction and confinement.