Pune Porsche case: Blood of minor in Pune Porsche case swapped with mother’s as father, brother consumed liquor, says Pune police chief
Pune Porsche case: Blood of minor in Pune Porsche case swapped with mother’s as father, brother consumed liquor, says Pune police chief
In a shocking turn of events, a friend’s father has been arrested for allegedly swapping his blood sample with that of his son. Another father involved in the case is currently on the run and has sought anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court.
Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Pune City Police, confirmed that the blood sample of the 17-and-a-half-year-old minor accused was not switched with that of his father or brother, as both had consumed alcohol that night. Although the minor’s mother also drank, 24 hours had passed since her last drink, making her blood sample a more viable option.
Kumar detailed the sequence of events during a recent private function, which has since gone viral.
He explained that after the crash on May 19, the police detained the minor and took him to Sassoon Hospital for a medical examination. Concerned about alcohol detection, the family devised a plan to submit another blood sample.
Initially, the minor’s father was asked for a sample but admitted to drinking until 3 a.m. The brother also admitted to drinking until 5 a.m. Ultimately, they resorted to using the mother’s blood sample, who too is a drinker, but 24 hours had passed since she last consumed alcohol.
Kumar stated that the police had intelligence on the sample swapping from the start. A second, confidential blood sample of the minor was taken, which confirmed the switch via DNA testing.
Police initially arrested the minor’s parents, Dr Ajay Taware — the then head of the forensic medicine department of Sassoon Hospital; Dr Shrihari Halnor— casualty medical officer at the time; and Atul Ghatkamble, a morgue staffer, and two other people, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad.
Authorities have accused Makandar and Gaikwad of serving as intermediaries for the parents of a minor and the medical staff at Sassoon Hospital. Makandar is alleged to have collected Rs 4 lakh from the minor’s father at a hotel in Kalyani Nagar, which he then allegedly delivered to the hospital personnel to alter blood samples. Police have recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr. Halnor and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble, while Rs 1 lakh remains missing.
On August 9, a DNA analysis revealed that the blood samples of the minor’s two friends were also tampered with at Sassoon Hospital. These friends, who are also minors, were present in the Porsche during the incident. The police have filed charges against both fathers and a private individual for the blood sample alterations. One father has been arrested for allegedly submitting his own blood sample to replace his son’s, while the other is currently in hiding after filing for anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court. According to police reports, at the request of the second father, his blood sample was reportedly exchanged with that of an arrested individual.
Furthermore, on Thursday, the police submitted a ‘supplementary final report’ to the Juvenile Justice Board concerning the minor accused. The charges brought against the minor include criminal conspiracy and the destruction of evidence linked to the blood sample alterations.
