Porsche crash case: Police arrest two who served as middlemen between Sassoon docs, minor’s father

In the early hours of May 19, the juvenile, allegedly driving his Porsche car at very high speed while intoxicated, crashed into a bike killing two software engineers Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta.

The persons were arrested earlier—Dr Ajay Taware, then Head of Forensic Medicine Department of state-run Sassoon Hospital, Dr Shrihari Harnol, Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) at the time, and Atul Ghatkamble a staffer at the morgue—for allegedly changing the minor’s blood sample in return for financial favours. They were thereupon suspended from the hospital posts and are currently in police custody.

The police, on June 1, had arrested the 49-year-old mother of the minor and had taken custody of the 50-year-old father from judicial remand, for their alleged involvement in the swapping of their minor son’s blood sample.

A crime branch official said, “Investigation has revealed that Makandar and Gaikwad acted as middlemen between the father of the minor driver and Taware, who further mediated financial transactions with Halnor and Ghatkamble, to swap the minor’s blood sample.” Earlier, the police recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr Halnor and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble.

Police have said the key focus of the investigation are the financial transactions of Dr Taware, as to what sum did he receive, or what was promised to him and by whom.

Police have charged the 17–year–old with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and also under provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act. In the same offence, police have booked two doctors and a staffer of Sassoon General Hospital, as well as the minors parents on charges of swaping the minor’s blood sample with his mother’s. Makandar and Gaikwad were also arrested on the same charges.