Alappuzha accident: Vehicle not rented out; ₹1,000 borrowed by one student, claims owner

Alappuzha: In the tragic Kalarkode road accident that claimed the lives of five medical students, vehicle owner Shameel Khan reiterated his claim that he did not rent out the vehicle involved in the incident and added that Rs 1,000 paid to his Google Pay account by one of the students was the money the student had borrowed from him.

Meanwhile, officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) interrogated the vehicle owner, seeking the RC book, account details and his Google Pay transaction records, which he provided. 

Khan said he only became aware of the money being credited to his account after seeing reports in the news. He also mentioned that the incident has caused him mental distress.

“When asked if I had rented out the car, I replied that I had not. Years ago, I used to rent out vehicles, but I stopped doing so due to recurring problems. The Rs 1,000 transferred via Google Pay was a loan borrowed from me,” he explained. 

Khan added that the student, Muhammad Jabbar, initiated the Google Pay transaction after borrowing the amount directly from him.
Earlier, Shameel Khan had stated that he had been acquainted with Jabbar's elder brother for a month and a half, and that it was on this basis the students were given access to the car.