Kochi Mini Cooper crash: Four accused remanded to police custody till Thursday

A court in Angamaly on Wednesday granted police custody of four people accused in connection with a Mini Cooper crash that killed three young people near Kochi. The accused will remain in police custody until 5 pm on Thursday.Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also assured the state Assembly that strong action would be taken against the accused, after the opposition raised concerns over alleged delays in the investigation.The four accused, including 19-year-old driver Suhail, were produced before the court after being remanded in judicial custody and sent to a Borstal school, a correctional facility for young offenders, police said.Police sought their custody for further questioning in connection with the crash. A police officer said the court granted the request until 5 pm on Thursday. Three people aged around 21, including two women, were killed when the speeding Mini Cooper hit their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi early on Sunday. Suhail was allegedly driving the car under the influence of alcohol.A medical examination reportedly found a high level of alcohol in the accused driver's bloodstream, following which police added more charges. The charges include Sections 281 for rash driving, 49 for abetment and 3(5) for common intention under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused have also been booked under Section 105 of the BNS for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act for drunk driving.Chennithala gave the assurance in response to a submission by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, who cited media reports alleging delays in registering the first information report, arresting the driver and conducting his medical examination.The four accused will remain in police custody for questioning until Thursday evening, while the state government has assured the Assembly of strong action in the case.- EndsWith PTI inputs