Two doctors have been arrested for allegedly tampering with the blood test of the 17-year-old boy, who was reportedly inebriated while driving the Porsche that left two 24-year-old software engineers dead in Pune last week.
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 teen was taken to the Sassoon Hospital in Pune for a medical check-up after he was taken into custody following the accident on May 19.
Dr Ajay Taware and Dr Shrihari Harnor of Sasoon Hospital have been arrested by the Pune Crime Branch, which is investigating the case that has sparked nationwide outrage. Dr Taware is head of the forensic lab at the state-run hospital in Pune, confirmed Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Monday.
Earlier, reports had claimed that the Pune teen, who is now at an observation home, had tested negative for alcohol. However, CCTV footage from one of the bars he visited that night showed him drinking with friends.
A second blood test was then 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.
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Following the arrest of the two doctors, charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and destruction of evidence were added in the accident case.
Amitesh Kumar had earlier said, “This case is not about an accident in which a mistake happened under the influence of alcohol and people died. Our case is that he had full knowledge of his conduct… he parties in two bars and rashly drives a car without a number plate on a narrow, congested street. He was fully in his senses, and he knew that people may die because of his actions.”
Two engineers — Ashwini Kostha and Aneesh Awadhiya — were on the bike when the speeding Porsche hit their bike from behind. They died on the spot. The boy was granted bail within 15 hours of the accident on flimsy conditions. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days and seek counselling for his drinking habit.
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Amid nationwide outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board later modified the order and sent him to the observation home till June 5.