Hit & run: boy’s passport seized, police probing fake ID claims

The Delhi Police have seized the passport of the 18-year-old boy who was driving the Mercedes, which allegedly knocked down business consultant Siddharth Sharma earlier this week.

His father, who is accused of abetting his son’s crime of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, is currently being questioned after a local court sent him to one-day police custody on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma said the passport was seized to prevent the boy from travelling abroad as he is currently out on bail.

Questions about the boy’s age also emerged after the police came across the fact that he had got a fake identity card of a prominent North Campus college.

Earlier, sources in the police had said that the card — which had the picture of the boy but someone else’s name and was bearing his photograph — had been with the boy. Mr. Verma denied that such a card had been obtained but said that it was another fact they were probing that in case he had got one, what was the purpose of doing it. The victim’s family and friends have also made similar claims.

“We will question him on this and seek more clarity,” said Mr. Verma.

It is likely that the investigators will pose these questions to the boy’s father and verify the claims on his age.

As far as the age is concerned, school records clearly show that the boy was born on April 8, 1998, which leaves no room for ambiguity.

However, the police added that efforts are on to explore the possibility of the boy being tried as an adult as he committed the alleged crime just four days before turning 18.

“The juvenile justice board is counselling him and would take the final call on the subject. Now that he has been booked for a non-bailable offence, we will produce him before the JJB and question him in presence of his father,” said Mr. Verma.

Meanwhile, the driver who appeared before the police claiming that he was on the wheels when the accident took place, has been booked under Section 193 (Punishment for false evidence) of the Indian Penal Code according to which whoever intentionally gives or fabricates false evidence in any other case, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Another video in which the occupants of the Mercedes are seen walking after the accident was also released by the victim’s family on Saturday.