Pune: A young man who stopped his luxury car in the middle of the road at Shastrinagar Chowk in Yerawada and engaged in public urination and obscene behavior later attempted to destroy evidence by removing and disposing of his car’s number plate. During the investigation, a liquor bottle and glasses were found in the car, which has now been seized by the police.
The accused, Gaurav Manoj Ahuja (25), a resident of Sathe Colony, Tilak Road, fled Pune after the incident and went to Kolhapur. Police revealed that he left his car parked there and returned to Pune, after which he removed the number plate in an attempt to erase evidence.
Authorities believe that Gaurav, along with an unidentified individual, destroyed evidence by disposing of the number plate to avoid being traced. Due to this, an additional charge of destroying evidence has been added to the case, the police informed the court on Monday (March 10).
Investigations further revealed that the accused had consumed narcotic substances. Police are verifying CCTV footage from a five-star hotel pub in Koregaon Park-Mundhwa Road, where Gaurav and his friends partied before the incident. The case is being investigated by Crime Inspector Vijay Thakar.
As the police custody period was ending, Gaurav and his friend Bhagyesh Prakash Oswal (22, resident of Pride Heights Society, Market Yard) were produced before the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) N. S. Bari, on Monday.
Police sought further custody to question the accused about their movements before committing the offense, including where they had consumed alcohol or drugs. Investigators are also probing how Gaurav returned to Pune after abandoning the car, the route he took, and whether he had any accomplices in fleeing the scene.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Yogesh Kadam argued for a seven-day police custody extension, citing the need for further interrogation. Defense lawyers Pushkar Durge and Sunil Rampure argued against the extension.
After hearing both sides, the court ruled:
Gaurav Ahuja’s police custody was extended by one more day.
Bhagyesh Oswal was remanded to judicial custody.
On Monday, police took both accused to the crime scene for further investigation. Officers examined the exact sequence of events and the role of each accused in the incident. "The crime scene was thoroughly inspected to verify details," stated Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Shelke of Yerawada Police Station.
