A newly emerged video from a co-accused in the fatal Kochi Mini Cooper crash reveals that prime accused Suhail Sajeev was driving at speeds of up to 160 kmph while heavily intoxicated, resulting in a tragic collision near Nedumbassery that killed three young students. The footage, along with medical test results showing blood alcohol levels five times over the legal limit, has strengthened the police case and led to the denial of bail for all involved, while the Kerala Excise Department has suspended the licenses of the bars that served alcohol to the underage youths.

A newly emerged video from a co-accused in the fatal Kochi Mini Cooper crash reveals that prime accused Suhail Sajeev was driving at speeds of up to 160 kmph while heavily intoxicated, resulting in a tragic collision near Nedumbassery that killed three young students. The footage, along with medical test results showing blood alcohol levels five times over the legal limit, has strengthened the police case and led to the denial of bail for all involved, while the Kerala Excise Department has suspended the licenses of the bars that served alcohol to the underage youths.

A newly emerged video from a co-accused in the fatal Kochi Mini Cooper crash reveals that prime accused Suhail Sajeev was driving at speeds of up to 160 kmph while heavily intoxicated, resulting in a tragic collision near Nedumbassery that killed three young students. The footage, along with medical test results showing blood alcohol levels five times over the legal limit, has strengthened the police case and led to the denial of bail for all involved, while the Kerala Excise Department has suspended the licenses of the bars that served alcohol to the underage youths.

The fatal Mini Cooper crash case in Kochi has taken a new turn as a video captured by one of the co-accused allegedly shows that prime accused Suhail Sajeev was behind the wheel when the car rammed a scooter, killing three people on the spot.

The video also captures the speedometer on the Mini Cooper dashboard, purportedly showing the car accelerating from around 140 kmph to 160 kmph seconds before the crash in the 80 kmph zone. The fatal collision took place near Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery at 1.41 am on October 11.

"The video shows the car’s speedometer climbing from around 140 km/h to 160 km/h between 1:40 am and 1:41 am. The accident occurred at 1:41 am, and investigators believe the car was travelling at more than 160 km/h at the time of the crash," a senior police officer said.

The exact speed can be confirmed only after checking the Event Data Recorder (EDR) of the vehicle, police said. During the preliminary probe, Suhail told police that the car was travelling at around 120-125 kmph. Police are also verifying past videos posted on Suhail's social media, purportedly showing his car travelling at 220 kmph.

The three victims were identified as three 21-year-old students Gopika, Devika and Ijaz, who worked together as salespersons.

The Mini Cooper, which was shown covering 500 metres in just 11 seconds, dragged the victims around 100 metres, inflicting serious head injuries and trauma.

Suhail, 19, and his friends who are below the legal drinking age of 23, consumed alcohol from three bars in Kochi hours before the crash. A medical test showed that Suhail's blood alcohol concentration was found to be five times over the legal limit.

Suhail was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under BNS Section 105. His three friends who were in the car -- Ninav, Ameer and Joel -- were booked for abetting drunk driving. The latest video showing Suhail behind the wheel and the speedometer at 160 kmph was shot by Joel, who was in the rear seat.

A local magistrate court and the Ernakulam District Principal Sessions Court have rejected their bail petitions.

The Kerala Excise Department has suspended the licences of three bars that allegedly served alcohol to Suhail.

TAGS