KOLKATA: The driver and the passenger - Imran Ali Malik and Faizan Rahi - of the Mercedes that hit a scooterette carrying 19-year-old Faizan Ansariand two others on Sunday had attended a party at a restaurant off Strand Road before borrowing the car from a friend and setting out on a ride.
Ansari was killed while the two others were injured.
Multiple breathalyser tests on Malik, a resident of Elliot Road, did not find any alcohol.The police are now exploring the possibility of them consuming drugs.
Samples of blood and saliva have been sent to forensic experts to ascertain the truth.Malik's questioning by the Fatal Squad also revealed the car was borrowed for a fun ride.
"The car is registered in the name of an individual who, Malik claims, is his friend.
It was registered last October and bought on a loan from a public-sector bank.
The owner has been summoned to ascertain the chain of events and claims made by Malik," an investigator said.The cops said they have slapped IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) due to the manner in which the vehicle was being driven and the fact that the accused fled after hitting the trio.
"We are collecting the electronic control unit (ECU) of the car, which is virtually the black box of the vehicle.
We are taking the help of experts from Mercedes to check the speed and other details at the time of impact.
The car will also be subjected to a mechanical test," said an officer.
Cops said they are collecting all possible CCTV footage from Strand Road, the Maidan area and Hastings to trace the movement of the car on Sunday night.
"We are trying to establish that the accused had broken speeding norms multiple times," an officer said.
Malik told cops the victim, Ansari, had tried to change lanes at the last moment.
Malik's lawyer Rajesh Gupta said his client cannot be blamed for the accident as another vehicle had suddenly come on their way.
"We will again make our submissions on this point on December 9, the day of production," Gupta said.