Vadodara accident case: Accused had taken drugs, switched seats before crash

The accused's blood samples have been sent for forensic examination to determine the exact drugs used. 'If the report concludes that the accused driver, Chaurasiya, was driving under the influence of a drug, relevant sections will be invoked,' a senior police official said.

Rakshit Chaurasiya, the 23-year-old law student accused of killing a woman and injuring seven in Vadodara in a car crash on March 13, was under the influence of drugs and had switched seats to take over the wheel, the ongoing investigation has revealed.

According to a report by Indian Express, which cited senior police officials in the know, a narcotics rapid test kit had confirmed the presence of drugs in Chaurasiya's when the 23-year-old had been detained after the crash.

However, police officials also told the publication that the results obtained from the rapid test kit is not admissible evidence in a court of law.

That being said, police have sent blood samples of Chaurasiya and his co-passenger Praanshu Chauhan, and a third friend who was with them prior to the crash to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination.

While rapid test kits can detect the presence of drug groups—opiates, amphetamines and the like—forensic examination of blood can pinpoint the exact drug of a group that is present in a person's bloodstream.

Further, while blood samples are mandated as evidence in a court of law, examination of hair and nail samples can reveal the presence of drugs for up to 100 days as well.

Police said that the blood test report from the FSL should be available within a week.

"If the report concludes that the accused driver, Chaurasiya, was driving under the influence of a drug, relevant sections will be invoked," IE quoted a senior Vadodara police officer as saying.

Insisted on taking the wheel?

As for switching seats, CCTV footage from before the crash has indicated that Chaurasiya may have insisted on taking the wheel.

Footage has revealed that at around 11.25 pm, Chaurasiya and his friend Praanshu Chauhan got on to the Volkswagen Virtus sedan. As Chauhan took the driving seat, Chaurasiya walked to him. While the main accused was obscured from view in the next few moments, Chauhan was seen seen talking to Rakshit before switching seats to ride shotgun. They took off, and shortly after, the crash took place.

NDTV reported that police had confirmed that Chaurasiya and Chauhan had switched seats and whether the accused had insisted on the switch was under investgation.

Incidentally, the accused has claimed that he was neither drunk nor speeding.

"We were overtaking a scooter, we turned right. There was a pothole and the car touched the other vehicle and the airbag opened. Our vision was hampered and the car went out of control. I was told that one woman has died and a few have sustained injuries. I want to meet the family of the victims, it is my fault," the 23-year-old told the media.

The incident has sparked public outrage and victims and their kin have demanded strict action against the accused to prevent such instances in future.