The Knotty Issue of the Ambani Aston Martin

About a month after the accident, the car is tied to a lamppost outside Gamdevi Police Station

MUMBAI ~ Around 1.30 am on 8 December, an Aston Martin owned by Reliance Ports crashed into an Audi A4 and a Hyundai Super near Peddar Road, Mumbai. The driver of the Aston Martin fled, but not before he was spotted by the driver of the Audi A4, Forum Ruparel. She told the police that the driver was portly and that he was young, leading many to guess that the driver must have been Mukesh Ambani’s son, Akash.

The following day, a driver employed by the Ambanis, Bansilal Joshi, told the police that he was driving the Aston Martin that night. Since then, as news outlets have reported, Ruparel claims she saw Joshi or someone resembling him, and now wants charges against the driver dropped. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Ruparel received an Audi A6 from Reliance. However, the case isn’t quite over. R Pawar, the investigating officer of the case, said, “The complainant may have made a settlement, but we have decided to pursue with our investigation.

We have got two clean fingerprints on the steering wheel of the car and sent them for examination. Once that report comes in, we will know for certain who was driving the car that night.”

The case apart, another question is vexing the police—the Aston Martin itself. It is parked outside Gamdevi Police Station, situated on a busy road in South Mumbai. The police claim they have to keep the car in their custody until the investigation is over and are worried that thieves may try to steal the car. Pawar says, “The car is worth Rs 4 crore and the last thing we want is for the car or any of its parts to get stolen.”

Passersby often stop to look at the car or take pictures, making the police uneasy. So the police have wrapped the car in a grey plastic sheet, and, with the help of a rope running across the vehicle’s width, tied it to a lamppost.

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Lhendup G Bhutia

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