2 doctors arrested for manipulating blood in Porsche teenager’s report: Sources

In the latest twist in the Pune Porsche horror, two doctors have been arrested for allegedly tampering with the blood test report of the 17-year-old whose late-night drunk driving incident left two 24-year-old software engineers dead.

Dr Ajay Tawade and Dr Hari Harnor of Sasoon Hospital were arrested by the Pune Crime Branch, which is investigating the case that has sparked outrage across the country. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told the media that the samples taken from the hospital and sent for forensic examination were not from the juvenile accused at all. “This means that the sample was swapped.”

“On May 19, at around 11 am, a blood sample (of the teenager) collected at Sassoon Hospital was thrown in a dustbin and another person’s blood sample was taken and sent to the forensic laboratory. CMO Srihari Halnor replaced that blood sample. During investigation, we found that Srihari Halnor had replaced it on the instructions of Ajay Tawade, head of the forensic department at Sassoon Hospital,” Mr Kumar said.

The phones of both the doctors have been seized. Investigations have revealed that Dr Tawade and the accused teenager’s father were talking to each other on the day of the accident, Mr Kumar told the media.

Earlier reports had claimed that the Pune-based youth, who is currently in an observation home, tested negative for alcohol, but video footage from one of the bars he visited that night showed him drinking with friends.

The Pune police commissioner had earlier stated, “This case is not about an accident where a mistake happened under the influence of alcohol and people died. Our case is that he was fully aware of his behaviour… he partied in two bars and drove recklessly in a car without a number plate through a narrow, congested road. He was of sound mind and knew that people could die due to his behaviour.” The city police chief also said that two blood samples of the accused teenager were tested at different times after the accident to ensure accurate results.

According to police sources, the first blood sample did not contain alcohol, but the second did. This raised suspicions and a DNA test was conducted. The DNA test revealed that the samples came from different people. This means that the minor’s blood sample had been switched with that of another person to ensure that no alcohol was mentioned in his report.

The teenager is part of a prominent real estate brokerage family and his father and grandfather are believed to have attempted to influence the legal proceedings to protect him. The teenager’s father was arrested on charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. His grandfather was also arrested after the family’s driver claimed he was locked in the family home, threatened and told to take the blame for the accident. Other arrests in the case include staff at the two bars the teenager visited that night. The arrest of the doctors and the allegations of tampering with blood samples reinforce the allegation that the family apparently used money and influence to protect the teenager.

Two engineers – Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya – were on the motorcycle when the Porsche rammed their bike from behind. They died at the scene. The boy was released on bail within 15 hours of the accident, under conditions that seemed less than convincing. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, work with traffic police officers for 15 days and undergo therapy for his alcohol addiction.

Amid nationwide outrage, the juvenile court later changed the order and sent him to an observation home. Police have asked the panel for permission to try the accused – aged 17 years and eight months – as an adult. The case is currently under review. The families of the two engineers have said it was “murder, not accident” and demanded strict punishment for the accused.