Kochi: The Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday remanded all four accused, including 19-year-old Suhail, to police custody for a day until 5 pm on Thursday in connection with the fatal Nedumbassery Mini Cooper crash that claimed three lives. The order followed heated arguments in which the defence accused the police of having already decided the outcome of the investigation.

The prosecution sought custodial interrogation to establish whether a conspiracy or prior enmity had led to the crash. Countering the defence’s arguments on the young age of the accused, the prosecution told the court that the victims who lost their lives were equally young, and they too had dreams and futures ahead of them.

Strongly opposing the custody plea, Advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor, appearing for the first and second accused, questioned the basis of the police’s conspiracy theory and alleged that the investigation was being driven by predetermined conclusions.

“Custody should be sought only if there is tangible evidence to substantiate that a conspiracy took place; custody is not a mechanism to fabricate evidence after the fact,” he argued. The defence also alleged that the accused had already been unlawfully paraded before the media.

“This was purely an unfortunate accident, and the attempt to attach components of intentional homicide to it will simply not stand legal scrutiny. A fair and unbiased investigation is impossible when conclusions are drawn even before the probe properly commences. The police claim there was a conspiracy, but there is not a shred of evidence to back it. These are 19-year-old youths with no criminal antecedents. The theory of prior enmity or conspiracy is something that cannot be conceived even in fiction; it has been introduced merely to satisfy media hype,” Kidangoor told Onmanorama.

The defence also cited the circumstances of the collision, pointing out that the three victims were travelling on a single scooter with all three riding together and without wearing mandatory helmets. They were allegedly riding close to the middle of the road instead of keeping to the left. Kidangoor further said that the collision occurred on a sharp curve where forward visibility was severely obstructed.

During the 24-hour custody period, investigators are expected to question all four accused in detail and take them to the crash site on the Athani-Cochin International Airport road for further evidence collection and scene reconstruction.

The latest court proceedings come amid growing criticism of the police investigation, particularly over allegations that the initial First Information Report (FIR) deliberately omitted any mention of the occupants of the luxury car being intoxicated.

The fatal crash had triggered a wider probe into the circumstances surrounding the collision, including suspected narcotics use and the events preceding the accident. The police have faced scrutiny over their handling of the case as the investigation has progressed.

With police custody scheduled to end at 5 pm on Thursday, the court has posted the bail petitions filed on behalf of the accused for hearing on Friday.