Kanpur, 10 Feb

The investigation into the high-profile Lamborghini crash took a contentious turn on Tuesday after the tobacco baron's son Shivam Mishra's lawyer claimed that his client was not driving the luxury sports car when it rammed into pedestrians on VIP Road, even as police said CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and other evidence clearly place him behind the wheel.

Mishra's counsel, Mrityunjay Kumar, told reporters that the vehicle was being driven by Mohan, a designated driver employed by Mishra’s family, and not Mishra himself.

"The car was being driven by the driver, not by Shivam Mishra. We will present the facts and evidence before the court," Kumar said, urging authorities to treat the incident as an accident rather than a criminal offence.

This assertion by the lawyer comes amid the family's claim that Mishra has been suffering from epilepsy.

However, the Kanpur Police dismissed the claim, maintaining that the investigation so far has confirmed Mishra to be the driver at the time of the crash.

Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI that available evidence and eyewitness statements corroborate Mishra's presence behind the wheel.

"An FIR may sometimes contain incorrect or incomplete details initially. During the investigation, Shivam Mishra's involvement was confirmed through evidence, CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts," Lal said.

Senior officers also referred to videos from the spot, which appear to show bystanders and rescuers pulling a man believed to be Mishra out of the driver's seat immediately after the impact.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Atul Kumar Srivastava said CCTV footage from the site identifies the person pulled out of the vehicle as Mishra.

He added that submissions made by the counsel would not influence the probe.

"What an advocate argues in court does not affect our investigation. If the court seeks any clarification, all facts will be placed before it," DCP said further.

Police teams also visited Mishra's residence in Arya Nagar to serve a notice, but were unable to establish contact, said an official.

The FIR had initially named an unidentified driver of a Lamborghini car, but it was later updated to include Mishra as the accused. Also, the car has been seized for forensic examination.

The accident involving the Lamborghini Revuelto, an Italian luxury sports car that costs upwards of Rs 10 crore, took place on VIP Road in Kanpur's upscale Gwaltoli area around 3.15pm. SHO Santosh Gaur was removed from his post and sent to police lines.

Shivam Mishra is the son of Banshidhar Exports Pvt Ltd's owner, KK Mishra, who had been under the I-T department's scanner for tax-related issues.