“The guilty should be punished, even if it is my son,” said M.P. Purushothaman, father of Shaji Purushothaman, the main suspect in the >May 23 Mercedes accident case.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu on Friday, the founder-chairman of Empee Group said, “I am utterly saddened by the fate of the children who suffered due to the accident. I am going to be haunted by this incident till the end. I have provided financial aid for the treatment of the injured girl and will support her throughout her recovery.”
Mr. Purushothaman said Shaji, who was in Thailand, >would surrender by Monday and submit to the court of law and accept punishment. Mr. Purushothaman ruled out any foul play in the accident case and denied claims that Shaji was being framed. “The authorities are doing their duty and if Shaji is found guilty, he should be punished,” he said.
The Empee chief said his family was making arrangements for Shaji to fly down and surrender before the authorities. According to police sources, Shaji fled to Bangkok from Bangalore via Colombo on May 25, after he was named prime accused in the case.
Mr. Purushothaman said Shaji did not get in touch with him after the accident, but recently contacted other family members and informed them of his whereabouts.
“I am cooperating with the police and have assured them of Shaji’s surrender. His travel ticket from Bangkok to Chennai is being processed. He has now realised the seriousness of the matter,” he said.
