Officials confirmed on Monday that the investigation into the car crash that killed two software engineers in Pune at around 2:30 AM on Sunday revealed the Porsche Taycan was driven by a 17-year-old son of a prominent builder. The electric luxury sports sedan, which costs between Rs 1.61 crore and Rs 2.44 crore in India, had been operating without registration since March. The owner had purchased the car but had not paid the required registration fees to the regional transport office (RTO).
Pune regional transport officer Sanjiv Bhor told TOI that the owner booked the car through a dealer in Bengaluru, which provided a temporary registration before delivering it in March this year. It was the owner’s responsibility to get the car registered. The vehicle was brought to the Pune RTO for inspection, but the owner failed to pay the required registration fee. As a result, the RTO could not issue a registration number.
What did the Pune police say about the Porsche crash?
Police reported that Aneesh Awadhia and Ashwini Koshta, both 24 and from Madhya Pradesh, were killed when a Porsche Taycan struck their bike from behind near a pub, dragging Koshta for 50 feet. They detained the underage driver, but the Juvenile Justice Board later released him with conditions. The police have charged the father for permitting the juvenile to drive.
According to the rules, dealers must complete the registration process for new vehicles and affix high-security registration plates (HSRP) with the number on the vehicle.
Bhor explained that if the dealer is from outside the state, they issue a temporary registration number, and the vehicle must be taken to the local RTO in the home state to obtain the registration number. Within Maharashtra, no temporary registration is needed.
An RTO officer admitted that some vehicles in Pune are operating without a registration number. Vehicles registered after April 2019 must have an HSRP.
