Rs 300,000 paid to exchange blood sample of Porsche teenager from Pune: Sources

New Delhi/Pune:

According to sources, the peon, who was arrested yesterday along with two doctors in connection with the Porsche accident in Pune, gave a bribe of Rs 300,000 to the doctors in an alleged attempt to tamper with the blood test report of the 17-year-old accused.

According to sources, errand boy Atul Ghatkamble acted as a middleman and collected bribes of Rs 300,000 from the teenager’s family, which were meant for the two doctors.

Dr. Ajay Tawade and Dr. Hari Harnor of Sasoon Hospital were arrested by the Pune Crime Branch yesterday.

The investigation has revealed that Dr. Tawade and the father of the accused youth spoke on the phone on the day of the accident. “The youth’s father called the doctor and offered to exchange blood samples,” police said.

It is learnt that Dr Taware has hinted that the blood samples were replaced with those of a doctor. Officials said the samples were swapped to remove traces of alcohol.

“I will not remain silent. I will write down every name,” he said during the investigation.

According to sources, the doctors not only tampered with the teenager’s blood test report but also gave him a clean bill of health during the physical examination without examining him.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had yesterday stated that the samples collected at the hospital and sent for forensic examination did not belong to the juvenile accused.

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

When the minor’s blood samples were exchanged, the report received Sunday showed no trace of alcohol. However, surveillance footage from one of the bars he visited that night showed him drinking with friends.

Two young IT professionals were killed in Pune in the early hours of May 19 when their motorcycle was hit by the speeding Porsche allegedly driven by the 17-year-old.

The Porsche, which was believed to be traveling at over 200 km/h, crashed into the motorcycle on which two 24-year-old technicians were riding home after a party. Ashwini was thrown about six meters through the air and landed hard, an eyewitness said. Aneesh was thrown against a parked car and suffered serious injuries. Both died on the spot.