Death of Kerala youth during reel shooting: Driver of luxury car arrested based on visual evidence

Kozhikode beach road accident: Man arrested for misleading police about luxury car involved in fatal crash in Kerala

The Vellayil police on Wednesday (December 11, 2024) arrested K. Sabith Rahman, a Manjeri native, who allegedly drove the luxury car that knocked down a 20-year old youth during a promotional video shoot for a Pantheerankavu-based automotive firm on the Kozhikode beach road in Kerala on Tuesday (December 10).

Police sources said the suspect misled the investigation team by providing wrong information about the vehicle that actually caused the accident death. His initial statement was that Vadakara native T. K. Alvin was knocked down by a Land Rover Defender brought to the spot for the promotional reel shooting. The claim was found to be false in the detailed examination of CCTV visuals from the spot.

“The accident was caused by a G-Class Mercedes Benz car which had no valid insurance. To hide the same, the suspect was giving the details of the other SUV used for shooting at the site. We cracked the fabricated story after retrieving the original visuals from Alvin’s mobile phone and based on the site inspection report of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD),” said a senior police officer who was part of the investigation.

He said the attempt of the suspect was to escape from the individual responsibilities to pay off the compensations and project another vehicle which had proper insurance coverage.

Both Sabith Rahman and another driver, Mohammad Rabees, who reportedly drove the Land Rover Defender, were in police custody for detailed interrogation after the tragic accident near the Vellayil police station at 7. 30 a.m. on Tuesday.

According to police, the accident occurred while Alvin was shooting a car chase for the promotional reel on his mobile phone alongside the median on the beach road near Vellayil. It was following the reckless overtaking attempt by Sabith Rahman that led to the accident. The 20-year old who sustained grave injuries after being knocked down by the SUV was declared dead at a private hospital in Kozhikode city by noon.

The police had already booked the suspect under Sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Another case was also registered against the owner and driver of the Land Rover Defender which had carried a temporary number even after the allotment of the official vehicle registration number.