Pune Porsche crash | Grandfather has underworld ties; teen a bully: Reports

As the police strive to strengthen their case against the minor who rammed his father’s Porsche sports car into a bike and allegedly killed two persons in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar junction on Sunday, several shocking facts and claims about him and his family have come to the fore.

The boy’s grandfather — because of whose “assurance” the 17-year-old got bail under two bonds of Rs 7, 500 each and the condition of writing a 300-word essay on road safety, among others, from the Juvenile Justice Board — reportedly has connections in the Mumbai underworld.

“His grandfather has given an assurance that he will keep the Child-in-Conflict with Law (CCL) away from any bad company and he will concentrate on his study or any vocational course which is useful for his career. He is ready to abide by the condition imposed on him. Therefore, it is just and proper to release the CCL on bail,” said the order.

Grandfather’s “underworld ties”

According to a report in the Pune Mirror, way back in 2009, the boy’s grandfather allegedly sought the help of notorious don Chhota Rajan to settle a property dispute with his brother. As part of the “help”, Chhota Rajan had allegedly been given the task of murdering then corporator Ajay Bhosle.

A construction professional had reportedly made this allegation, according to an application filed by the CBI while opposing the boy’s grandfather’s anticipatory bail in the case.

Boy a “bully”

Barring the grandfather’s underworld connections, the boy himself is a bully, claimed Sonali Tanpure, wife of NCP(SP) MLA and former Maharashtra minister Prajakt Tanpure, on Wednesday (May 22). She has alleged that the accused teen bullied her son, a classmate, in the past.

In a X post, she has claimed that she eventually had to shift her son to a different school due to relentless bullying by the accused juvenile. She alleged that her repeated complaints to his parents went unheeded. “The bad effect of those events is still on his (her son’s) mind,” she wrote.

Tanpure argued that had his parents taken steps to taken their son to task for his misdeeds then, two deaths could have been prevented. She also sought justice for Ashwini Koshta and Anish Awadhiya, the two software engineers who were killed in the crash.

Her husband Prajakt Tanpure blamed the authorities as well for “destabilising the social order by supporting influential big people”.

Boy spent Rs 48,000 in 90 minutes

Apart from illegally driving the Porsche, the boy, whose father and grandfather are both reportedly in the realty business, was also drunk. He reportedly spent Rs 48,000 within a span of 90 minutes at one of the two pubs — Cosie Bar and Blak pub — he visited before the fatal crash.

The Maharashtra excise department on Tuesday sealed both restaurants on orders of the Pune district collectorate. The boy and his two friends reportedly drank alcohol in these two establishments between 9.30 pm and 1 am, just before the crash early on Sunday.

The Maharashtra Transport Department has also barred the teen from getting a driving licence until he turns 25. According to officials in the department, the Porsche Taycan’s permanent registration has been pending since March as a fee of Rs 1,758 has not been paid.

Father in police remand

The boy’s father, who has been arrested on charges of “wilful neglect of a child”, has been remanded in police custody till May 24.

The Pune sessions court also ordered police remand for the two arrested employees of Blak pub, Nitesh Shevani and Jayesh Gavkar, who allegedly served him alcohol. Three others — Naman Pralhad Bhutda, the owner of Cosie Bar, its manager Sachin Katkar, and the manager of Blak, Sandip Sangle — were also remanded in police custody till May 24 on Tuesday.

They face charges under sections 75 (wilful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses) and 77 (serving alcohol to an underage person) of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Charges against the arrested

According to the FIR, the boy’s father gave allowed him to take the car out despite knowing that he did not have a driving license and allowed him to party even while knowing that he drinks alcohol, thus endangering his life. The car did not even have a number plate.

The boy’s father was arrested from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday night despite an elaborate escape plan. Multiple cars were driven to separate locations in an effort to throw off the cops, who were not to be hoodwinked though.

The prosecution told the court that he had in his possession a simple no-frills mobile phone when arrested, and that “the police need to investigate where are his other phones”.

Govt defence

Even as the Opposition attacked the government over the case, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asserted that the police have taken every possible action in the case.

“We were also surprised by the Juvenile Justice Board’s decision. But the police did not stop and appealed against the decision. Under the cognisance of the higher court, a review petition has been filed before the Juvenile Justice Board,” news agency ANI quoted Fadnavis as saying.

The Maharashtra excise department has also launched a special inspection drive to ensure that pubs and resto-bars do not serve liquor to underage clients and operate beyond the 1.30 am deadline. The department has asserted that cases would be registered against errant establishments and their licences will be cancelled if any violations are found.