Nedumbassery crash: Mini Cooper driven at 140 km/h; Moments before fatal hit filmed by friend

Kochi: Police have confirmed that the Mini Cooper involved in the fatal accident at Nedumbassery, which claimed three lives, was travelling at extreme speed. According to the investigation team, the car was driven at approximately 140 to 150 km/h, covering a half-kilometre stretch in just 11 seconds. During initial evidence collection, the driver, Suhail, had previously told police that the vehicle was travelling at 120 km/h.

The moments preceding the crash were recorded on a mobile phone by Suhail's friend, Joel. The video clearly captures the vehicle's speedometer, forming the basis for the police's conclusion regarding the excessive speed. Joel had filmed the clip and shared it via Snapchat, and the footage has since been secured by investigators. Joel, Ninav and Ameen were inside the vehicle alongside Suhail Sajeev at the time of the crash.

To retrieve precise technical data regarding the vehicle's speed and system status at the moment of impact, the Event Data Recorder (EDR) of the Mini Cooper is being sent to Germany. Experts at BMW headquarters will analyse the component before forwarding the findings to the police. This procedure is being followed to comply with the manufacturer's privacy policies, which will delay the retrieval of onboard telemetry data. However, police secured key evidence in the interim through the recovered phone footage.

Meanwhile, the accused have moved the District Principal Sessions Court seeking bail after the Angamaly Judicial First Class Magistrate Court rejected their initial bail applications.

The court will consider the bail pleas after receiving the detailed police report, with arguments from both sides expected to be heard next week. Furthermore, the family of Gopika, one of the victims who died in the accident, has formally written to the state government requesting the appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor.