Puneet Puneet was handcuffed and led away to New Delhi's Tihar jail
A 24-year-old Indian who fled Australia after allegedly killing a teenager while driving drunk and speeding in Melbourne has been jailed in Delhi. A court in the capital will hear arguments next week on whether he should be extradited
Puneet Puneet was handcuffed and led away to New Delhi's Tihar jail amid emotional scenes at the Patiala House court complex where his family members pleaded for sympathy for their only son.
"I am not a terrorist. I am ready to abide by the law," he said.
Puneet, who only had a provisional driver's licence at the time of the crash, is accused of hitting two students, aged 19 and 20, as they walked across a road in Melbourne in 2008. One of the students died at the scene.
Australian police estimated Puneet was driving at 148 kilometres (92 miles) an hour - more than double the legal limit in the area. He also tested positive for alcohol.
Puneet had been charged with culpable driving and negligently causing serious injury, then bailed on strict conditions including the surrender of his passport. But he later fled using another Indian's passport.
Australian police offered a reward in 2012 for information leading to his arrest. After four years on the run in India, he was nabbed in late November in Noida, a satellite city of Delhi.
While Australian authorities are now seeking extradition, Puneet's lawyer Meena Sharma said she had moved an application for his trial to be held in India.
"We are saying that since Puneet is an Indian citizen, he should be tried in India," she told reporters outside the court.
Earlier, judge Sheetal Chaudhary said she would hear arguments on Puneet's extradition next Wednesday.
A member of the Australian Federal Police was present in the court as the judge read out her order.