Porsche crash: Police to probe minor boy at observation home in Pune

Police may question the minor boy at the observation home in the next couple of days in the presence of his family members and the child protection officer, said police sources.

Meanwhile, police would also be arresting his father again. Police moved a production application before a court in Pune on Friday for taking the father’s custody to probe his role in replacing his minor son’s blood samples at the Sassoon hospital.

The minor boy on May 19 was allegedly driving the Porsche at high speed under the influence of alcohol when the car crashed into and killed two software engineers who were on a bike.

The same day an FIR was lodged against the minor at the Yerawada police station.The boy was then taken to the Sassoon hospital for medical examination. His blood sample was taken to confirm liquor presence in his body at the time of accident. But a police probe revealed that doctors at the hospital who replaced this blood sample sent another person’s blood to the forensic lab in the minor’s name.

Police then arrested Dr Ajay Taware, the former head of the forensic department of Sassoon Hospital, Dr Shrihari Harnol, who was the casualty medical officer at the time, and a Class IV employee Atul Ghatkamble, for allegedly changing the minor’s blood sample by taking financial favours. Police also recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Harnol and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble.

A court on Thursday extended the police custody of the trio till June 5. Police had then told the court that they wanted to confront the accused with the minor’s father.

As per police probe, Dr Taware had as many as 14 phone calls with the minor’s father over the two hours before the boy’s blood sample was collected on the morning of May 19.

While the police have not formally disclosed the identity of the person whose blood was swapped with that of the minor accused, sources in the government have confirmed that the blood belonged to the minor boy’s mother.

Also, blood samples of two of the minor boy’s friends who had been in the car were also allegedly swapped with samples drawn from some other people, the sources revealed to The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, police produced the minor’s father and grandfather before the judicial magistrate (first class) A A Pande on Friday afternoon. Police had arrested the duo for allegedly kidnapping and forcing a driver employed by the family to take the blame for the May 19 accident.

The driver had lodged a separate FIR against them at the Yerawada police station.

Prosecution lawyer Nilesh Ladkat sought an extension in the duo’s custody by five days saying they did not give any concrete information about the alleged tampering of CCTV footage obtained from their bungalow, where the driver was allegedly kept in confinement after being kidnapped on the intervening night of May 19 and May 20 in a Mercedes car.

Police said when the driver failed to reach home, his wife reached the bungalow, created a ruckus and took him away with her.

Police said they wanted further custody of the accused to probe the Mercedes car seized in this case.

Defence lawyer Prashant Patil opposed further custody for the two accused. The court granted judicial custody to the duo. While the accused were taken to the Yerawada jail, police have applied in court for father’s custody.

The father was initially arrested along with the owner, managers of the two restaurants where his minor son had consumed liquor before the Porsche car accident, under sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.