A Mercedes-Benz, a Land Rover & a life: How a luxury car promo video shoot went wrong in Kozhikode

On December 10, a tragic accident during a promotional video shoot on Beach Road in Kozhikode claimed the life of 20-year-old TK Alwin. The shoot involved two high-end vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class with a Telangana registration, driven by Manjeri native Sabith Rahman, and a Land Rover Defender driven by Mohammed Rabees of Edasseri.

Alwin, who had recently returned home from the UAE, was filming promotional reels for the private company 999 Automotive when the Mercedes-Benz struck him. He sustained critical injuries and succumbed to them later that day at a private hospital in Kozhikode.

The cars were reportedly speeding excessively during the shoot. Around 7 am, Alwin and his team arrived at the road near the Vellayil police station. After dropping Alwin off in front of the station, the vehicles moved forward, turned around, and began driving back at high speed.

By this time, Alwin had begun filming from the middle of the road. Upon seeing the speeding cars approaching, he panicked and attempted to move to the roadside, but one of the cars struck him. Alwin was flung into the air, landing on the road and sustaining a severe head injury as well as spinal damage. Those in the vehicles immediately rushed him to the hospital. However, he succumbed to the injuries. 

Alwin's post-mortem report indicates that multiple ribs were fractured, and there was internal bleeding. The cause of death is attributed to the injury sustained at the back of the head.

Shifting blame game
Following the accident, Sabith and representatives of 999 Automotive tried to shift the blame to the Land Rover Defender. The initial FIR even stated that the Defender caused the accident. This claim was reportedly made to conceal the fact that the Mercedes-Benz lacked valid insurance.

However, the police launched an in-depth investigation, scrutinising CCTV footage and analysing the video Alwin had been recording before the accident. These efforts confirmed that the Mercedes-Benz, not the Defender, was the vehicle involved in the collision.

During the investigation, the police found that:

• The Mercedes-Benz involved in the accident lacked insurance coverage.
• Both vehicles used covered registration plates, raising questions about compliance with motor vehicle laws.
• The mobile phone Alwin used to record the reels was missing, sparking suspicions that the suspects might have hidden it to erase evidence.

The police arrested Sabith Rahman and charged him under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The second driver, Mohammed Rabees of Edasseri, was also taken into custody.

The Motor Vehicles Department initiated cases against both drivers for car racing, dangerous driving, and using altered registration plates. Additionally, the car owner was booked for failing to maintain insurance coverage.