Pune Porsche Accident: Grieving Families Demand Justice

Pune, 19th May 2024: “Why did God take away my innocent daughter? What was her fault? The one who broke the law should have faced the consequences. His parents should be suffering, not us,” cried Mamta Koshta, mother of Ashwini. Her 24-year-old daughter, Ashwini Koshta, and her friend, Aneesh Awadhiya, also 24, lost their lives in a tragic car accident on the Kalyaninagar-Airport road early Sunday morning.

The accident has left their families devastated, grappling with grief and unanswered questions about the senseless loss of their loved ones. The Yerawada police have apprehended a 17-year-old boy for allegedly driving a Porsche recklessly. Despite the gravity of the incident, he was released on bail shortly after.

The car, unregistered and without a number plate, collided with the two-wheeler carrying Ashwini and Aneesh. Despite being rushed to Sahyadri Hospital in Yerawada, both were declared dead on arrival. Their bodies were kept at the hospital until around 4 PM before being transferred to Sassoon General Hospital for post-mortem. Both victims hailed from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Ashwini recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Wadia College, while Aneesh earned his BE in Computer Science from DY Patil College, Lohegaon. They both worked for Johnson Controls.

Ashwini had recently quit her job and planned to return to her hometown. Upon hearing the tragic news, her parents and younger brother traveled by road from Jabalpur to Nagpur and then flew to Pune. Mamta was inconsolable as she caught a final glimpse of her daughter at the Sassoon Hospital mortuary.

“Around 4 AM, we received a call from her mobile and learned about the incident. We immediately rushed to Pune. My daughter was brilliant and had secured a job during the lockdown. She had been working from home until six months ago when she returned to Pune. We always advised her not to overwork and to enjoy life with her friends,” Mamta shared.

“On Saturday night, she told me she had booked her ticket to come home on June 18 to surprise her father for his birthday. Then this tragedy happened,” Mamta added.

Mamta recounted that her daughter had informed them she was going out with friends and later called to say she was on her way home after dinner. “I never thought that would be our last conversation. God should punish the boy who committed the crime. My daughter’s horoscope predicted a long life. How could she die so early?” she lamented.

Ashwini’s brother, Sampreet, expressed his devastation, saying, “We are heartbroken and never imagined our last conversation with my sister would be our final one. We had planned to celebrate our father’s birthday. She was our inspiration.”

Aneesh’s cousin, Paras Soni, described the family’s shock upon receiving the call. “We didn’t inform his parents about the tragedy right away. We only told them they were hospitalized. We’re struggling with how to break the news to them, as they are elderly and have no one to comfort them.”

Paras added, “Aneesh was a top performer in academics and dreamed of working abroad. We often discussed work and new opportunities. His father runs a printing business. Although we come from a business family, we made our careers in the IT industry. I wish I had taken him with me to Nashik for a pilgrimage. He would be safe today. We had our last conversation at night.”

This tragic accident has underscored the need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and greater accountability for reckless driving, particularly among minors. The families of Ashwini and Aneesh continue to seek justice for their irreplaceable loss.