The head of the forensics department at Sassoon Hospital in Pune, where the teen accused in the deadly crash involving a Porsche car was taken for a medical check-up, and another doctor from the hospital have been arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Monday.
The arrests come after it was discovered that the blood samples of the minor involved in the accident were switched with those of another person who had not consumed alcohol. Police said the teen's original blood sample was disposed of in a dustbin.
The minor was taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical test at 11 am on the day of the accident, May 19. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report showed no alcohol in the first sample, raising suspicions.
A second blood test was conducted at a different hospital and DNA tests confirmed the samples were from two different individuals, leading investigators to suspect that the doctors at the government hospital had tampered with the evidence to protect the accused juvenile.
"Dr Shrihari Halnor, who had taken the blood sample from the juvenile, was arrested last night. During interrogation, he revealed that he had changed the blood sample on the directions of Dr Ajay Taware, the HOD of Forensic Medicine," said Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar at a press conference.
Following the arrest of the two doctors, charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and destruction of evidence were added in the accident case, he added.
Kumar stated that there was no alcohol found in the second blood sample taken from the minor. "But our case is under section 304, culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The accused juvenile was in full knowledge that his act could endanger lives, so no alcohol traces in his blood sample does not affect our case anyway," he said.
The Pune Porsche crash case has been marred by controversy since the beginning, with allegations of preferential treatment and underworld connections surrounding the accused's family. The minor, who was allegedly driving the Porsche under the influence of alcohol, was initially granted bail but was later remanded to an observation home until June 5 following public outcry.
His father, real estate developer Vishal Agrawal, and grandfather have also been arrested in connection with the case, with allegations of attempting to bribe and threaten the family's driver to take blame for the accident.
Two IT professionals, Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, were killed when the speeding Porsche, allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy, hit their bike. The families of the victims have demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe and trial, citing concerns over the handling of the case.
