Porsche car crash: Prosecution files ‘draft charge’ against 7 accused including minor’s parents, Sassoon doctors

Special public prosecutor (SPP) Shishir Hiray filed the draft charge before the special judge U M Mudholkar under sections 304, 279, 338, 337, 427, 120 (b), 201, 213, 214, 466, 467, 468, 471, 109 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicle Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Two IT engineers Aneesh Awadhiya and his friend Ashwini Koshta, both aged 24 and hailing from Madhya Pradesh, were killed after the speeding Porsche driven by a 17-year-old boy allegedly in an inebriated state hit their motorcycle around 2.30 am on May 19.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged on the same day against the minor car driver at the Yerwada police station. The police investigation revealed that when the minor accused was taken to the government-run Sassoon Hospital after the accident for a medical examination, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with his mother’s.

The police then arrested seven people, including the minor’s parents, doctors and a staff at the Sassoon hospital along with accused Makandar and Gaikwad, on charges of tampering evidence, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption.

According to the police, Makandar and Gaikwad allegedly acted as “middledmen” between the minor’s parents and doctors at Sassoon Hospital for tampering with the blood samples and preparing fake reports.

The police said that Makandar allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from the minor’s father at a hotel in Kalyani Nagar and gave it to the Sassoon staffers for changing blood samples. Investigators said that they have recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr Halnor and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble. The remaining Rs 1 lakh is yet to be recovered.

On July 25, the police had filed a preliminary chargesheet of about 900 pages against the seven accused. Charges would be framed against them during the next hearings.

Meanwhile, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Hiray and assistant lawyer Sarathi Pansare also filed an application before the court seeking “password/pattern” to unlock the cell phones of accused Halnor and Ghatkamble that were submitted to the forensic science lab (FSL) for analysis. “The next hearing is scheduled on November 6,” said advocate Pansare.

Plea for declaring father of minor’s friend ‘proclaimed offender’

SPP Hiray said they have filed another application before the court for declaring the father of the minor driver’s friend as a “proclaimed offender”.

A DNA report on August 9 confirmed that blood samples of the two friends of the minor were also swapped at Sassoon hospital. Both friends, who too are minors, were in the Porsche at the time of the accident.

The police have booked the fathers of both friends and a private person in this case. One of them was arrested for allegedly giving his blood sample to replace it with his son’s. The blood sample of the second friend was allegedly swapped with that of a private person as per the instructions of his father. The person in question was arrested, while the father’s application seeking anticipatory bail was rejected by the Bombay High Court.

Today, the prosecution sought an order from the court to pronounce him as a proclaimed offender as he has allegedly been absconding and constantly avoiding the police team investigating the case.

Meanwhile, the police had submitted a “final report” against the minor driver at the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on June 17 and the “supplementary final report” on September 26.