A technical examination of the Mini Cooper involved in a crash that killed three scooter riders near Kochi last month has revealed that the car was travelling at around 144 kmph at the time of impact, after slowing down from 162 kmph in the preceding five seconds, police said on Thursday.
According to the report submitted to the investigation team, the driver and main accused, Suhail, applied the brakes only about a second before the collision.
The findings, confirmed by the car's manufacturer BMW, are based on data retrieved from the vehicle's Advanced Crash Safety Module, which records information related to a collision.
Police said the report corroborated their findings from CCTV footage, which showed the luxury car covering a distance of 500 metres in just 11 seconds.
Investigators said the technical analysis provided scientific evidence of the car's speed and the driver's actions immediately before the crash.
The investigation is continuing, with police examining the circumstances leading to the collision, the car's speed and the role of the other accused. Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police Baiju Paulose is leading the probe under the supervision of District Police Chief KS Sudarshan.
Two women and a man, all aged around 21, were killed when the Mini Cooper rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi in the early hours of October 11
According to police, Suhail was driving the car under the influence of alcohol. During the examination, his blood alcohol level was found to be around five times the permissible limit, according to police sources. However, tests found no traces of narcotic substances in his samples.
He is the prime accused in the case, while his friends Ninav, Ameer and Joel have also been named as accused for abetting the offence. All four are currently in judicial custody.
Source: India Today