Vadodara Car Crash Accused Was Not Drunk But Under Influence Of This Drug While Driving, Say Cops

The driver in the Vadodara car crash, Rakshit Chaurasia, was driving under the influence of drugs, not alcohol, according to a forensic report.

Rakshit Chaurasia was not drunk but driving under the influence of drugs in Vadodara car crash incident, said the police.

Source : ANI

The accused in the Vadodara car crash that killed one woman and injured several others last month was not drunk but driving under the influence of drugs said the police on Friday. 

The Forensic Science Laboratory, Gandhinagar said in its primary report that the blood sample of the accused Rakshit Chaurasia revealed that he was not drunk at the time of the incident but had smoked marijuana, said the police, reported NDTV. 

The blood samples of Chaurasia's co-passenger  Praanshu Chauhan and another friend who was in the car during the crash, Suresh Bharwad, have also tested positive for drugs.

The medical report came about 20 days after the incident took place on March 13 February sparking outrage and sending shockwaves across the country. Police have booked all three accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and invoked Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, against Chaurasia, which makes it a criminal offence to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

While Chauhan has been arrested, Chaurasia is currently lodged at the Vadodara Central Jail. The third accused is on the run.

"We received the result of the three blood samples today, which showed positive for drugs. They were driving the car after smoking marijuana," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Panna Momaya said.

"We have arrested Rakshit Chaurasia's co-passenger and the third accused will be arrested soon," the police official added. 

All three accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The police have also invoked  Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, against Chaurasia, which makes it a criminal offence to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Chaurasia was arrested following the incident and is currently lodged at the Vadodara Central Jail. While Chauhan has also been arrested, the third accused is still on the run. 

On March 13, Chaurasia, a 23-year-old law student from Prayagraj rammed his speeding Volkswagen Virtus sedan into three vehicles, resulting in the death of one woman, Hemali Patel. A video of the late-night incident, captured on camera, went viral where the accused, dressed in a black T-shirt repeatedly shouted, "Another round, another round!" and "Om Namah Shivay!" (a religious chant).