Police in Gujarat’s Vadodara said on Friday that Rakshit Chaurasia, the law student who was driving the car that hit two-wheelers and killed a woman last month, was not drunk on the night of the indident but was high on drugs as per forensic reports.
On March 14, the car driven by Rakshit Chaurasia rammed several two-wheelers, leaving one woman dead and some others injured. (ANI/File)
Police received the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) test results of Rakshit Chaurasia and his two friends, a Times of India report said.
Along with 23-year-old Chaurasia, Pranshu Chauhan and Suresh Bharwad, at whose residence they met before the accident, were booked under the NDPS Act. Pranshu Chauhan, to whom the car belonged, was in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
On Friday, the police also arrested Pranshu Chauhan.
“All three tested positive for ganja (marijuana). Chaurasia was high on the intoxicant while driving. We filed a separate case under the NDPS Act against all three and added a section for driving under the influence of drugs under the Motor Vehicles Act in the original FIR against Chaurasia,” TOI quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Panna Momaya.
On March 14, the car driven by Rakshit Chaurasia rammed several two-wheelers, leaving one woman dead and some others injured. The incident hit headlines with the video of the incident showing the accused screaming ‘another round’ after getting off the vehicle.
The accident took around 12.30 am on March 14 near Muktanand cross roads in the Karelibaug area following which Rakshit Chaurasia was arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police Panna Momaya had said.
Rakshit Chaurasia is a law student who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh Varanasi.
Rakshit Chaurasia is studying law and lives in a PG accommodation in Vadodara, Momaya told reporters, adding that the deceased woman was identified as Hemali Patel, who was riding her scooter at the time of the accident.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Chaurasia studies at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara.
In an interview to a local news portal after the accident, Rakshit Chaurasia said the airbags of the car he was driving opened up when the vehicle hit the two-wheeler. He denied being drunk at the time of the accident.
The video footage of Chaurasia ramming his car into three vehicles at high speed and flinging some of the victims in the air sent shockwaves through the city. Immediately after the crash, Pranshu Chauhan got out of the car and left the spot quickly. Chaurasia, however, came out and started shouting ‘another round’ while walking on the road.
Some passers-by confronted Chaurasia, and he also received a thrashing from the mob before the police reached the spot and intervened.
Gujarat police confirmed law student Rakshit Chaurasia was high on drugs, not drunk, during a fatal car crash last month. Read More
