Kerala Police arrested two more men and widened the probe into the Kochi Mini Cooper crash. The case has sparked outrage, with the victims' family seeking murder charges and action against bars.
Speeding Mini Cooper driven by teen driver killed 3 on Sunday.
Kochi,Oct 12, 2026 23:19 IST
Kerala Police on Monday arrested two more people in connection with the Mini Cooper crash near Kochi that killed three 21-year-olds a day earlier. The case has triggered outrage across the state, while the family of one of the victims has demanded that those responsible be booked for murder.
The three victims, two women and a man, were killed in the early hours of Sunday when a speeding Mini Cooper allegedly driven by a young man under the influence of alcohol rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery.
The driver, Suhail, a Kochi native, was arrested soon after the crash, and police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against him.
Police said Suhail's mother had gifted him the luxury car for his birthday. Investigators also found videos purportedly showing him driving at speeds of more than 200 km per hour on several occasions. His friend Ninav was taken into custody on Sunday.
During the investigation, police found that two other people, identified as Ameer and Joel, were also in the car. Officials said the two allegedly fled the scene after the crash in another vehicle and were later taken into custody in Alappuzha with the help of local police. Police said Suhail is the first accused in the case, while Ninav, Ameer and Joel have been named as accused for allegedly abetting the offence.
The investigation found that Suhail and Ninav had consumed alcohol at bars in Kochi and Nedumbassery before Ameer and Joel joined them. Police said the four allegedly continued drinking despite being heavily intoxicated before setting off in the car. According to police, Ameer and Joel had come to Nedumbassery to pick up a friend arriving at the airport, and when the flight was delayed, they joined Suhail for a high-speed ride in the Mini Cooper.
Ameer and Joel were taken to the accident site on Monday as part of evidence collection. Officials said they told the investigation team that the car was travelling at more than 120 km per hour when the crash took place and was on the right side of the road.
All the arrested persons were produced before a court and remanded to the Borstal School in Thrikkakara, where remand prisoners aged 18 to 21 are lodged. Officials said police would soon file a petition seeking Suhail's custody for further investigation.
The Excise Department, acting on the directions of Minister M Liju, registered cases against three bar hotels in Vyttila, Palarivattom and Nedumbassery for allegedly serving liquor to Suhail and Ninav.
Excise officials said the establishments had violated rules that bar the sale of liquor to people below 23 years of age. They said the department would investigate the matter and decide on further action, including possible cancellation of the bars' licences.
Devika's family demanded strict action to prevent similar incidents.
"A case has been registered for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Instead, a murder case should be registered because he drove the vehicle in such a reckless manner. Such an incident should not happen to anyone in the future," her uncle Sandeep told reporters.
He said Devika, Gopika and Iyas, all around 21, had been the hopes of their families and were preparing to enter a new phase of their lives after completing their studies. "Devika was the lamp of this house. She studied and worked so hard," he said, adding that the family had sold their land to finance her education. "There is no place for us here even to keep the body. The body was kept at our ancestral home," he said.
Sandeep said Devika had been planning to move to the Gulf within two to four months after getting a good job and was the sole breadwinner of her family. He added that the other two victims were also the main support for their families. Referring to social media posts allegedly showing Suhail driving at high speeds and to reports that he had said after the crash that his father would handle the case, Sandeep said,
"He might have said this because his father has a lot of money. But we believe the government and police will handle the case fairly. We hope the government and police will help us."
With two more arrests, the police probe has widened to include those who were in the car and the bars that allegedly served liquor before the fatal crash.
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