Gardaí investigating the hit-and-run killing of Bryan Lowe (17) in Co Clare last week are preparing to make arrests in the case and believe teenage boys have vital information to share about the crime. They suspect the hit-and-run incident was carried out deliberately.

Gardaí believe they can link a partially burnt-out Skoda Octavia to the crime scene and are hopeful forensic evidence from the vehicle will link it to suspects in the case. A number of those under investigation are juveniles.

The victim was rammed off his e-bike and then dragged under the car as it was being driven away from the scene at Clonlara village at about 11pm last Friday.

Gardaí believe Bryan Lowe was followed and then rammed following an earlier altercation involving those in the silver/gold Octavia, registration 05-C-5982.

Detectives also believe the occupants of the car knew the victim and have ruled out the possibility his death could have arisen from a conventional road-traffic crash.

The Garda investigation team is examining Bryan Lowe’s phone records in a bid to establish if he had texted people expressing concern for his safety, as they suspect. They are also hoping it will help them establish if clothing and other items had been stolen from him. However, the sequence of those events, and precisely what transpired, is still not clear.

All of the resources of a homicide inquiry have been committed to the case and a large amount of work has been done, including harvesting CCTV footage recorded in Limerick and into Clare where the fatal incident happened.

Based on the evidence gathered to date, gardaí have identified people of interest. A number of searches were carried out at residential addresses in Co Limerick on Wednesday. They said they had seized a number of “items of evidential value”.

“No arrests have been made at this time. Gardaí are following a definite line of inquiry and investigations are ongoing,” Garda Headquarters said in a statement after Wednesday’s searches.

Gardaí are awaiting the results of forensic testing on the Octavia and analysis of CCTV footage of the car on the night. Once that evidence is available, arrests are expected.

In a post on Facebook, the victim’s mother, Crystal Lowe, said she was “heartbroken and traumatised” that her son had died alone. She said she believed her son was “followed” from the Corbally area to Clonlara before his death.

Gardaí believe footage recorded on CCTV cameras along that route will help piece together the movements of both the victim and the Octavia, and will also confirm the identity of those in the vehicle. The Octavia was not reported stolen but its registered owner was not in the car last Friday night.

Bryan Lowe was treated by paramedics after the incident, but was pronounced dead at the scene at Cottage Cross, near Clonlara village. He had just started sixth year at St Munchin’s College.

The partially burnt-out Skoda was found in the Castleconnell area on Saturday morning. Though it was damaged by fire, gardaí are hopeful it may still yield some forensic evidence.

Bryan Lowe’s funeral will take place in Co Clare on Saturday.