In the accident on Road No. 45 of Jubilee Hills that claimed the life of a two-and-half-month-old Ranveer Chouhan on March 17, Jubilee Hills police on Saturday announced the arrest of a youngster who was driving the car involved in the case. The youth appeared before them and confessed to the crime.
Declaring the arrest of Mohammed Afnan (20), a student, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Banjara Hills) M. Sudarshan said that Bodhan MLA Shakil Aamir Mohammed’s son Raheel Aamir was on the shotgun seat of the brand new Mahindra Thar sporting the official sticker of Mr. Shakil.
“While Afnan was behind the wheel, the MLA’s son occupied the seat next to the driver and their friend Mohammed Maaz was in the back seat when the accident took place. Soon after that, they got off the vehicle and ran away in different directions,” the ACP said.
When asked at what speed the accused vehicle was zooming, Mr. Sudarshan said that it was not more than 40 to 45 kmph. He failed to provide the exact reason for the accident.
“The arrest was made based on scientific evidence, including fingerprints of the accused on the steering wheel and CCTV cameras, and not on his confession alone,” the officer said. The accused was even produced before the eyewitnesses for further confirmation, he said.
Ranveer’s mother Kajal Chouhan, 20, along with other family members sell balloons at Jubilee Hills check-post and nearby junctions in the area. They hail from Ghotwal in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.
On March 17, while they were sitting on the road median near the Honda showroom, the Mahindra Thar hit them, due to which the boy fell on the road from his mother’s lap and suffered fatal injuries, while three others, including another toddler, were wounded.
According to Mr. Sudarshan, the MLA’s son and his two friends were going towards KBR Park from Inorbit Mall via Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge. “It was a dry day. All liquor outlets were closed on the eve of Holi,” Inspector S. Rajashekar Reddy said, ruling out the possibility of drunk driving.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother and other relatives went ‘missing’ from the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences while undergoing treatment for their injuries. Police believe they went back to their native place.
