PANAJI
The Crime Branch, in its submission before the court has accused AAP President Amit Palekar, who is currently on interim bail, of not only misleading the police by falsely claiming that an imposter driver was behind the wheel of the killer Mercedes Benz but also of holding a meeting at a residence to plant a dummy driver at the behest of the main accused Paresh Sawardekar.
Even after an alcohol test confirmed that Paresh was inebriated while the dummy driver Ganesh Lamani was not, Amit, along with others, reportedly made persistent efforts to convince the Mardol police that Lamani was driving the vehicle.
Challenging Palekar’s bail application during the argument on Friday, Crime Branch presented a compelling case revealing that Police Inspector Mohan Gaude and his team, in their statements to the current investigation team, disclosed that Palekar and another person were actively trying to persuade them that Ganesh Lamani was the driver at the time of the accident.
Around three hours after the accident occurred, Paresh, Lamani, Palekar, and others appeared at the Kundaim Industrial Estate, where they informed the police that the driver -- Lamani -- was willing to surrender.
Both Paresh and Lamani were subjected to alcohol tests and in the report, Paresh tested positive for alcohol, while Lamani tested negative.
The prosecution stated that Palekar's involvement became even more significant when Paresh summoned him to the residence of one A Sawant in Marcel, just half an hour after the accident, in an apparent effort to cover up the case. Friends of Paresh and his wife Meghana were also a part of the meeting where Lamani was falsely identified as the driver. The prosecution further argued that Palekar even made a WhatsApp call to PI Gaude around 10 pm, informing him of the accused driver’s willingness to surrender at Kundaim IDC.
It was also learnt that six persons including Palekar and Paresh connived to mislead the police and even tampered with evidence. The Crime Branch is now relying on the mobile phone records belonging to Palekar to provide crucial evidence in this ongoing probe.
