Police Suspect Minor’s Blood Sample Replaced with his Mother’s in Pune Accident Case

Mumbai: The scandalous Pune accident case, in which a drunk son of a realtor mowed down two young IT professionals under his father’s Porsche car, is getting murkier every day. It is now suspected that the juvenile son’s blood sample was swapped by doctors at the government hospital with that of his mother in order to cover up the fact that he had consumed liquor before the accident.

According to reports, a three-member committee of the medical education department has submitted its findings to the government that the blood samples of all three occupants of the car were changed. The blood samples of two other occupants in the car were also replaced at the hospital by the samples of their brother and father, respectively.

After the new revelations, the Pune police crime branch is likely to question the minor’s mother. They will also collect the mother’s blood sample and match it with the one sent to the forensic lab earlier as the minor accused person’s blood sample.

Meanwhile, a Pune court on Thursday extended the custody of two doctors and a peon of the Sassoon General Hospital arrested for allegedly replacing the blood sample of the juvenile. Dr Ajay Taware, the head of Forensic Medicine Department, Dr Shrihari Halnor, the casualty medical officer and peon named Atul Ghatkamble were remanded to police custody till June 5.

The police has informed the court that the blood sample of the minor accused was replaced with the blood sample of a woman. The motive was to prove that the 17-year-old boy was not in an inebriated condition at the time of the crash.

At around 2.15 am on May 19, a 17-year-old son of a realtor knocked down two IT professionals working in Pune — Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya. Both of them died in the accident. According to the police case, the minor accused was driving his father’s Porsche car at a very high speed and he was under the influence of alcohol. The CCTV footage recovered by the police show the teenager drinking liquor with his friends in two Pune pubs on the night of the accident.

There was a nationwide outrage after the accused minor was released on bail on the same day. Subsequently, it emerged that his family had tried to influence the police investigation as well as the doctors who conducted his medical examination. The decision of Juvenile Justice Board to grant him bail also came under criticism and a five-members committee appointed by the state the Woman and Child Development department is investigating whether the JJB members followed the correct legal procedures or not.

The juvenile is currently kept in an observation home, while his father and grandfather have been arrested for trying to destroy evidence by offering bribes to officials and putting pressure on the family driver to take the blame for the accident.