Cops refute lawyer's claim that driver, not Shivam, was behind the wheel

KANPUR: The Kanpur Lamborghini crash case is heating up with conflicting claims, with accused Shivam Mishra's lawyer claiming his driver was behind the wheel, while police insisting the tobacco baron's son was indeed driving the Rs 10-crore car.Shivam's lawyer Dharmendra Singh Dharmu claimed that the car was being driven by his driver Mohan at the time of the incident. Countering his claim, Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the FIR initially did not mention the driver’s name because the identity of the person driving the vehicle was not clear. He said evidence gathered so far, including CCTV footage and eyewitness statements, confirmed Shivam was driving the high-end car.DCP (Central) Atul Kumar Srivastava stated that CCTV footage from the site identified the person extracted from the vehicle as Shivam. Senior officials pointed out a video showing Shivam being pulled out from the driver's seat post-collision.Meanwhile, finance minister Suresh Khanna told the media in Lucknow that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered strict action in the case. Anyone found guilty will not be spared, he said.

On Tuesday, two petitions were filed in the court of ACJM 7 in the case. Mishra's driver, Mohan, has applied to be taken into judicial custody, while the car owner has sought for the vehicle’s release. The court has sought a report from the police on both petitions, and the hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.Dharmu said Shivam is currently unconscious and admitted to a hospital in Delhi due to dizziness.Shivam’s father and tobacco baron KK Mishra also rejected claims that his son was driving the Lamborghini when the crash took place Sunday afternoon, saying a hired driver was at the wheel when the vehicle malfunctioned, injuring some people and damaging other vehicles.He said the car was being driven by driver Mohan, while Shivam was sitting beside him. “My son’s condition deteriorated rapidly. By the time he reached home, he was unconscious. We immediately sent him to Delhi, where he is currently undergoing treatment under medical supervision,” he said.Stating that they would fully cooperate in the investigation, he denied allegations of overspeeding and intoxication, saying Shivam suffered from epilepsy and was admitted to a hospital in Delhi.New CCTV footage emerged on Tuesday showing Shivam’s bouncers exiting a black SUV and running towards the Lamborghini Revuelto car to extract him from the car. Another video showed a bouncer purportedly carrying Shivam in his arms.Police teams visited Mishra’s residence in Arya Nagar to serve notice, but were unable to establish contact, an official said.The Lamborghini, allegedly being driven at a high speed, triggered chaos on a busy stretch in Kanpur after it rammed into a parked motorcycle and an autorickshaw at Gwal Toli police station area, leaving at least three people injured and several vehicles damaged on Sunday afternoon.The car, bearing a Delhi registration, first collided with an autorickshaw. After the initial impact, the car reportedly accelerated further, lost control near a turn and went on to hit a parked motorcycle owned by Arya Nagar resident Vishal Tripathi, who was standing nearby and talking to someone.In the ensuing chaos, three people, including Chaman Ganj Ghosiyana resident Taufiq, sustained injuries while trying to escape the speeding vehicle. They said the car mounted the motorcycle’s front wheel and dragged it for some distance before hitting an electric pole and coming to a halt.