Kochi Mini Cooper Crash: Driver Had Five Times the Legal Alcohol Limit; Speeding at 120 km/h When Three Students Died

Police said the blood test report indicated the high alcohol levels.

According to authorities, the BAC limit for driving in India is 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Suhail Sajeev’s blood sample, taken after the incident, showed a level five times higher than the legal limit, indicating he was highly intoxicated.

Sajeev was reportedly driving at around 120 km per hour when the car collided with the scooter from behind.

The three young victims of the crash were identified as Devika, 21, from Kalpetta, Wayanad; Gopika, 22, from Mannarkkad in Palakkad; and Ilyas, 21, from Coorg, Karnataka.

All were logistics students in Ernakulam, working part-time at a craft shop in Thrikkakara. They were heading home from work when the tragic accident occurred.

Police arrested four people, including Suhail Sajeev, and placed them in custody for a day on Wednesday. The remand report states that Sajeev and his friend Ninav began drinking on the evening of Saturday, October 10, visiting multiple bars in Kochi. Around midnight, they met friends Ameer, 20, and Joel, 20, at a bar in a luxury hotel in Nedumbassery, where the drinking continued.

According to the report, Ninav, Ameer, and Joel knew that driving while heavily intoxicated was dangerous, but they allegedly didn’t try to stop Sajeev from taking the wheel. Instead, they hopped into the Mini Cooper with him, cheered him on, and pushed him to speed down the four-lane Nedumbassery Airport Road.

The cops are investigating whether Sajeev had taken illicit drugs along with alcohol before driving, and if the Mini Cooper was involved in a road race or speed contest with another vehicle during the crash.

The Excise Department has taken action against three bars where Sajeev allegedly consumed alcohol with his friends before the crash. The minister noted that Sajeev was below Kerala’s legal drinking age of 23.