2 Pune docs arrested for cover-up

According to the commissioner of police, Amitesh Kumar, acting on Dr Taware’s instructions, Dr Halnor threw the accused’s blood sample in a dustbin, and replaced it with a sample taken from an unidentified person to manipulate the outcome of the test

The Pune crime branch on Monday arrested the head of forensics department at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH), Dr Ajay Taware, and the hospital’s casualty medical officer, Dr Srihari Halnor, on charges of allegedly destroying evidence and manipulating the blood samples of the 17-year-old who drove his Porsche over two techies on a two-wheeler, in an alleged state of inebriation last week. The arrests were made after the doctors were questioned by cops for 12 hours on Sunday. Police have also arrested Atul Ghatkamble, the assistant at the hospital’s mortuary, who worked under Dr Taware.

2 Pune docs arrested for cover-up

Pune crime branch took over investigation of the case on Friday last week.

According to the commissioner of police, Amitesh Kumar, acting on Dr Taware’s instructions, Dr Halnor threw the accused’s blood sample in a dustbin, and replaced it with a sample taken from an unidentified person to manipulate the outcome of the test. In the evening, after they were produced in a Pune court, Taware, Halnor and Ghatkamble were remanded to police custody till May 30, with the prosecution seeking custodial interrogation to ascertain if there are more people involved in the case.

“Police are trying to investigate whose blood sample was replaced with that of the juvenile. We have already seized CCTV footage and the DVR from Sassoon hospital,” said Kumar.

After the incident, police had taken two blood samples of the accused – one was sent to Sassoon and the other at Aundh hospital. Results of the second blood sample and DNA profiling of juvenile with his father gave away that the first was replaced by the two doctors.

Further investigation revealed that the juvenile’s father, a prominent builder in Pune, was in touch with Dr Taware. “We have technical evidence showing that father was in touch with the doctor,” said Kumar.

Later in the day, judicial magistrate first class, AA Pande, allowed police to take custody of the teen’s father, who is currently lodged in Yerawada Central Jail (for allowing his minor son to consume alcohol and drive the unregistered car), in connection with the case of kidnapping and wrongful confinement of his driver.