Kochi | A court in Angamaly on Wednesday granted police custody of four accused in the Mini Cooper crash that killed three youngsters near here, till 5 pm on Thursday.

The four accused, including Suhail, the 19-year-old driver, were produced before the court after being remanded to judicial custody and sent to a Borstal school, a correctional facility for young offenders, police said.

The police had sought their custody for further questioning in connection with the accident.

Their custody has been granted till 5 pm on Thursday, a police officer said.

Three youngsters, aged around 21, including two women, were killed when a speeding Mini Cooper, allegedly driven by Suhail under the influence of alcohol, hit their scooter at Nedumbassery near Kochi early on Sunday.

A medical examination had reportedly revealed a high level of alcohol in the accused's bloodstream, following which the police invoked additional charges against them.

The charges include Sections 281 (rash driving), 49 (abetment) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), in addition to Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS and Section 185 (driving by a drunken person) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Meanwhile, Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday assured the state Assembly that strong action would be taken against the accused, seeking to allay the opposition's concerns over the investigation.

He was responding to a submission by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, who cited media reports alleging delays in registering the FIR, arresting the driver and conducting his medical examination.