Police on Thursday said that Shaji Purushothaman, the main suspect in the May 23 >Mercedes Benz accident case , confessed that he was at the wheel when the accident took place. He also admitted that he drove the car at a speed of over 90 kph, the police claimed.
Shaji, >arrested on June 13 , was taken into police custody on June 19, just for a day. He was interrogated at the Chintadripet police station.
According to police sources, Shaji said he was taken to the Anna Square police station on May 23. “He said that since ‘Kudirai’ Kumar confessed to the crime, he left the police station and reached home at 5 a.m. Sensing that he might be arrested, he left for Bangalore and with the help of a company employee, he booked a ticket to Bangkok via Colombo,” said a senior police officer.
The police claimed they took Shaji in a vehicle on the same route he had taken just before the accident occurred.
On Thursday, Shaji was taken to the apartment on Halls Road, where he and his friends allegedly partied till the early hours of May 23.
“He and ‘Kudirai’ Kumar had whisky together and later decided to call Anwar and Anil (co-accused). Then, the four had drinks on the terrace. After this, they drove towards the beach, when the accident occurred. They thought a police van was chasing them and they tried to evade it,” said the officer. Shaji’s visa was valid only till June 9, but he got it extended up to June 16. “From news reports he came to know that his family and staff were being interrogated by police. Therefore, he decided to return. His statements have been videographed,” said the police officer.
