Pune Porsche crash: Teen's friends confirm he was drink driving
Two friends of the 17-year-old teen who was allegedly driving a Porsche when it hit two people, killing them, claimed the boy was drunk at the time of the accident. The Porsche hit 24-year-olds Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, who were on a bike, on May 19 in Pune. Witnesses claimed the Porsche was reportedly speeding at 200km per hour when it collided with their bike, catapulting the victims into parked cars and into the air due to the impact.
Teen detained, bar owner arrested following crash
Following the accident, an irate crowd detained the teen, who was described as "heavily drunk." CCTV footage from a city bar showed him and his friends consuming alcohol prior to the incident. This led to the arrest and questioning of the bar owner and staff for serving liquor to a minor, as Maharashtra's legal drinking age is 25. Reportedly, the boys were out celebrating the passing of their Class 12 exams.
Teen's father and grandfather arrested amidst conspiracy allegations
Later, the teen's father was arrested for attempting an elaborate escape plan and was charged with endangering his son's health, forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. The grandfather was also arrested after the family's driver alleged that the former wrongfully confined him and pressured him to accept responsibility for the crash. Both are suspected of trying to bribe and threaten their driver to take the blame for the accident.
Investigation uncovers protocol lapses and potential manipulation
Further investigation revealed that the teen's family bribed two doctors at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune to allegedly manipulate the blood samples of the boy. While Dr. Ajay Tawade and a peon, Atul Ghatkamble, have been suspended, Dr. Shrihari Halnor was fired by the hospital on Wednesday for allegedly manipulating blood samples of the 17-year-old boy. The three were arrested on Monday after an inquiry revealed their alleged involvement in discarding and replacing the blood samples.
Hospital staff in custody, teen released on bail
Phone records showed the teen's father and Dr. Tawade exchanged 14 calls before collecting the minor's blood samples. A second blood test was conducted at a different hospital, and DNA tests confirmed that the samples were from two different individuals. Police sources suspect the mother of the 17-year-old boy had given her blood sample. An investigation into the conduct of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members who granted bail to the boy 15 hours after the accident is also underway.
