VASCO: The investigation into the horrific Sancoale Mercedes crash has taken a shocking turn. Police records have revealed that the accused driver, Vidhyadhar alias Vipul Prabhu, had been released from police custody for a separate, alcohol-fuelled assault on his own parents, just days before the fatal collision.
Prabhu (32), the son of a prominent builder, is currently in Verna Police custody. He faces severe criminal charges after his speeding luxury vehicle slammed into a motorcycle on Friday, dragging the rider, Ashok Kumar Chauhan (38) underneath the car for 2.5 kilometres until both vehicles burst into flames. Chauhan was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
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A Vasco court remanded Prabhu to two days of police custody on Saturday, flatly rejecting his attempt to secure immediate hospitalisation after he complained of high blood pressure post-arrest.
New details from law enforcement show a violent, escalating pattern of behaviour that began three days before the fatal crash.
On September 1, at around 10:30 pm, Prabhu allegedly returned to his family’s Fatorda home heavily intoxicated. According to a written complaint by his father, Vinayak Prabhu, the accused used abusive language, slapped his father, and physically assaulted his mother, Sharmila Prabhu.
Fearing for their lives, the parents and Prabhu’s wife fled to Sancoale. Prabhu allegedly tracked them down, assaulted them again, and threatened to kill them. When the parents tried to drive away, Prabhu chased them in his car, intercepted their vehicle, and renewed the physical attack.
The terrified parents fled to the Fatorda Police Station. When summoned by officers, Prabhu allegedly misbehaved, hurled verbal abuse at the police, and obstructed the inquiry. Police then placed him under preventive arrest for 24 hours and seized the Mercedes.
On September 3, Prabhu was legally released from preventive detention, and the Mercedes—officially registered in his mother’s name—was returned to him.
The very next day, Friday, September 4, Prabhu allegedly became heavily intoxicated again. He drove the luxury car onto an internal Sancoale road and caused the catastrophic crash that killed Chauhan and severely injured a 24-year-old pillion rider.
The Verna Police are treating the case with extreme severity. Because Prabhu showed a conscious disregard for human life by driving drunk so soon after an arrest and dragging the victim for kilometres, the department has locked in a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The accused has been booked under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act. These include Section 105 (BNS): Culpable homicide, Section 281 (BNS): Rash and negligent driving, Sections 125(a) & 125(b) (BNS): Endangering life and personal safety, Sections 134A & 134B (MV Act): hit-and-run, failure to render medical aid and Section 185 (MV Act): highly aggravated drunk driving.
The investigation is actively being spearheaded by PSI Mahesh Bhomkar, under the direct supervision of Verna PI Anand Shirodkar and Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam. Detectives are now mapping Prabhu’s exact movements, testing his blood alcohol levels, and analysing speed data to build an airtight case for court.
