Kochi: BMW company, the manufacturer of the Mini Cooper car that killed three bikers near here in an accident last month, inspected the vehicle involved in the case and found its speed five seconds before the mishap should have been 162 kmph, police said on Thursday.
The BMW's crash data analysis also found that the driver and prime accused, Suhail, applied the brakes approximately one second before hitting the two-wheeler, at which point the car's speed was 144 kmph, police said.
Police said that its conclusion, after analysing CCTV visuals, that the vehicle was overspeeding has been confirmed in the technical inspection of the vehicle carried out by BMW.
In a statement, police said that the investigation team had found, based on the CCTV visuals, that the luxury vehicle travelled 500 meters in just 11 seconds.
The police' findings are supported by the report given by BMW India on Thursday after analysing the data obtained from the car's Advanced Crash Safety Module (ACSM), the statement said.
The report given by BMW is crucial evidence in the investigation as it provides a more scientific basis for the findings of the team probing the incident, it added.
Police said its investigation into the circumstances of the accident, the speed of the vehicle, the actions of the driver immediately before the accident, and the role of other accused is ongoing.
The investigation is being led by Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police Baiju Paulose under the supervision of District Police Chief KS Sudarshan, it said.
Two women and a man, all aged around 21 years, were killed when the speeding Mini Cooper rammed into their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi in the early hours of October 11.
Suhail was behind the wheel and was drunk, according to the police.
Suhail is the first accused in the case, while his friends Ninav, Ameer and Joel have been named as accused for allegedly abetting the offence, police have said.
All four are currently in judicial custody.