Pune Porsche crash: 900-page preliminary chargesheet filed against 7, including minor’s parents

During further investigation, police had arrested seven persons in the case, including parents of the minor boy, Dr Ajay Taware, Dr Shrihari Harnol, Atul Ghatkamble, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad.

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray confirmed that a chargesheet against the seven accused was filed on Friday before a special court in Pune.

A senior police officer said this is the preliminary chargesheet, which comprises statements of about 50 witnesses, forensic lab reports, documentary evidence, crash impact assessment report and other investigation papers.

“Focus is on technical evidence. Investigation into the case is going on and we would be filing a secondary chargesheet against the accused in due course of time,” the officer said.

The investigation had found that when the accused minor boy was taken to Sassoon Hospital after the accident for a medical examination, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with his mother’s.

The police then arrested his father, mother, Dr Taware — the former head of the forensic department of Sassoon Hospital, Dr 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.

Following these arrests, police had invoked IPC sections 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 467 (forgery), 201 (destruction of evidence), 213 (taking gift or something else to screen an offender from punishment), and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property to screen an offender) and sections 7, 7 A, 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, in this case.

On receiving intelligence inputs (about swapping of the minor’s blood sample), the police had taken a second blood sample of the minor, which was sent to another government-run hospital in Aundh for DNA sampling. Then, to unearth the conspiracy, a blood sample of the minor’s father was taken (following his arrest) and sent to Sassoon Hospital.

Then, the probe confirmed that the minor’s first blood sample was replaced with his mother’s, whereas the DNA in the minor’s second blood report matched the DNA of his father’s blood report. The evidence collected by the police in this regard is part of the chargesheet, said police sources.

Police said Makandar and Gaikwad were arrested as they allegedly acted as “middledmen” between the minor’s parents and doctors at Sassoon hospital. Police said 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. Police said 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.

According to the police, a technical investigation and analysis of CCTV videos revealed that following the Porsche crash, Makandar was allegedly present at the accident spot, Yerwada police station, Sassoon hospital and also on the premises of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

Police have attached with the chargesheet a report of the crash impact assessment of the accident, conducted with the help of Indian Army’s forensics expert. Police said the assessment analysed the impact of the crash between the Porsche and the bike, which the deceased were riding.

Meanwhile, the police have filed a “final report” against the minor before the JJB on June 18. A police officer said the final report comprises details right from the moment he left his home on the evening of May 18 to the accident at Kalyani Nagar on May 19. It also has information pertaining to the CCTV footage obtained from the minor’s residence, and also from the two hotels where he consumed liquor before the accident.

Final report has statements of the co-passenger (minor’s friends) and a driver, who were present in the Porsche at the time of accident. It also includes statements of the minor’s friends who were present with him for the party at the hotels where they had food and liquor before the accident, police said.

The minor was released from the observation home following a Bombay High Court order on June 25. He has submitted an essay on road accidents and their solutions to the JJB, as a part of the compliance of conditions set by the JJB while granting him bail.

Police said the bail applications filed by seven accused, currently in judicial custody, are pending before the court. Police are yet to file chargesheet in two more offences lodged in connection with Porsche crash.

The second FIR was lodged on May 20 against the minor’s father and six others including the owner, managers of two restaurants in Pune where liquor was allegedly served to the minor boy and his friends before the accident. They were booked under sections 77, 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children Act, 2015) and sections 3, 5, 199A of the Motor Vehicle Act. All accused in this FIR were granted bail by the court.

Based on a complaint filed by the 42-year-old driver, the third FIR of kidnapping and wrongful confinement, under IPC sections 342, 365, 506, 34, was filed against the minor’s father and grandfather, who are prominent realtors in Pune city. Police had arrested the grandfather and father of the minor for allegedly kidnapping and forcing the driver to take the blame of the car accident; both were later granted bail by the court.