₹3L paid to change blood samples of Porsche teen: Report
The peon arrested in the Pune Porsche crash case—along with two doctors—allegedly handed over a ₹3 lakh bribe to them to manipulate the blood test report of the 17-year-old accused. The peon, Atul Ghatkamble, is said to have acted as an intermediary, collecting the bribe from the teenager's family for the doctors, reports said. Dr. Ajay Tawre and Dr. Shri Hari Harnor of Sasoon Hospital were arrested by the Pune Crime Branch yesterday for tampering with the accused's blood report.
Why does this story matter?
Early Sunday morning, the reportedly inebriated minor drove a Porsche into two motorcycle-borne software engineers, Aneesh Awadhiya (24) and Ashwini Koshta (24), killing them both. The case and the subsequent bail granted to the minor under the Juvenile Justice Act sparked sharp criticism and protests. As part of the bail conditions, the minor was required to work with Yerwada traffic police for 15 days and write an essay on the accident.
JJB's decision amid outrage
Pune Police had then filed a review petition with the Juvenile Justice Board, seeking to try the boy as an adult and review the earlier order. On May 21, the boy's father, a prominent Pune builder, was arrested. The next day, the JJB canceled the 17-year-old's bail and remanded him in custody for 14 days, but withheld a decision on treating him as an adult amid widespread outrage.
Phone conversation reveals alleged bribe offer
According to reports, Dr. Tawade and the teen's father discussed a bribe over the phone on the day of the accident to replace the blood samples, police said. Dr. Tawade suggested that the minor's blood samples were swapped with those of another doctor to eliminate traces of alcohol. Amid the new revelations, the teenager's father—under custody till June 7—was charged with forgery, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence on Monday.
Blood sample switch: Commissioner reveals details
According to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on May 19—the day of the accident—around 11:00am, a blood sample taken from the teen at Sassoon Hospital was discarded in a dustbin and replaced with another person's sample. This switch was allegedly executed by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Halnor under instructions from Dr. Tawade, Head of Department of forensic medicine at the hospital.
Teen's grandfather arrested
On Saturday, the grandfather of the 17-year-old boy from Pune was arrested. The detention came after the family's driver alleged that the grandfather wrongfully confined him and pressured him to accept responsibility for the crash. Based on the driver's complaint, the Yerawada Police has registered a separate offense against the teen's grandfather and father under Indian Penal Code Sections 365 (kidnapping with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person) and 368 (wrongfully concealing or keeping a person in confinement).
Teen's father sent to judicial custody until June 7
Separately, on Friday, the teen's father, Vishal Agarwal, was sent to judicial custody until June 7. According to the police, the real estate developer gave his son the car despite knowing that he did not have a driving license. A special court in Pune also ordered the judicial detention of five other accused, including the owner and employees of two pubs where the youngster reportedly drank alcohol before the incident.
