In the Pune Porsche crash case, police have arrested two doctors and a hospital peon for allegedly tampering with blood samples to protect a teen driver involved in a fatal accident. The incident, which occurred on May 19, led to the deaths of two young IT professionals after their motorcycle was struck by a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy.
Investigations revealed that Dr. Ajay Taware, head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Sassoon General Hospital, and Dr. Shrihari Halnor, the hospital's chief medical officer, were involved in the manipulation of blood samples. Atul Ghatkamble, a peon working under Dr. Taware, was also arrested for his role as a middleman in the bribe transaction.
According to police sources, Ghatkamble received Rs 3 lakh from the teen's family to bribe the doctors. The minor had been taken to Sassoon General Hospital for medical tests following the crash. However, the blood sample taken from the teen, which initially showed no traces of alcohol, was found to be substituted with another person's sample. The original sample was discarded in a dustbin.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report showing no alcohol in the first blood sample raised suspicions. A second blood test conducted at a different hospital, along with DNA tests, confirmed that the samples were from two different individuals. This led investigators to suspect tampering by the doctors at Sassoon General Hospital.
Further investigation revealed that on the day of the accident, the teen's father, Vishal Agarwal, had a phone conversation with Dr. Taware, during which he offered incentives to replace the blood samples. The police seized Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr. Halnor and the remaining Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble's residence.
Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that the manipulation came to light after another sample of the juvenile taken for DNA sampling was sent to another hospital. CCTV footage from a bar showed the teen consuming alcohol with friends on the night of the accident, contradicting the initial FSL report.Suspicion was aroused when the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report revealed that the initial blood sample had no alcohol in it.
The minor driver, who was initially granted bail, was sent to an observation home until June 5, following public outrage and a review application by the police. The Maharashtra government has since set up a three-member panel to investigate the case, with Medical Education Commissioner Rajiv Nivatkar directing the hospital's dean to cooperate fully.
The crash, which occurred in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar, Pune, involved a Porsche believed to be traveling at over 200 km per hour. The victims, Ashwini and Aneesh, both 24-year-old tech professionals, were returning home from a party when their motorcycle was hit. Eyewitnesses reported that Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet into the air, while Aneesh was hurled into a parked car, resulting in fatal injuries for both.
In court, the prosecution argued that the accused misused their positions for financial gain and destroyed crucial evidence by replacing the teen's blood samples. The court remanded Dr. Taware, Dr. Halnor, and Ghatkamble to police custody until May 30 to facilitate further investigation.
Sections 201, 120-B, 467, 213, and 214 of the Indian Penal Code have been added to the accusations against the minor by the Pune Crime Branch.. Meanwhile, a team from Porsche visited the Yerwada police station to conduct a technical inspection of the vehicle involved in the crash.
The Pune police are also recovering footage from CCTV cameras at Sassoon General Hospital to determine who came to meet the accused doctors. Dr. Taware, during the investigation, hinted at further revelations, stating, "I will not keep quiet. I will take everyone's name."
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary)
