Pune Porsche crash case: How DNA analysis of ‘secret’ sample helped cops nail sample swap

On Monday, the police arrested two Sassoon doctors Dr Ajay Taware, Dr Shrihari Halnor and a Sassoon staffer Atul Ghatkamble on the charges of destruction of evidence by changing the sample collected from the minor. A senior officer said that the probe in this context was launched on Sunday after police received a report from the forensics facility on the DNA analysis of three samples including one taken — as police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said — “secretly”.

Explaining how the blood sample’s destruction came to light, a senior officer said, “The first blood sample of the minor was taken around 11 am at Sassoon General Hospital on May 19. Because of certain inputs about possible tampering, we pressed for another sample collection at 6 pm which was taken at District Hospital in Aundh. The next day, on May 20, the swabs from these two samples were sent to a state run forensics facility for DNA analysis. On May 21, after the father of the minor was arrested, we sent his (the father’s) sample for DNA analysis. The reports of the DNA analysis of these three samples were received on May 26. Reports suggested that the father of the minor was unrelated to the Sassoon swab. The swab from Aundh hospital matched him. This also suggests that the doctors at Sassoon Hospital changed the sample between May 19 and the time we took the swab on the 20th. During initial questioning, the doctors said they had discarded the sample in a dustbin and that it was picked up along with other biomedical waste. The chances of its recovery are not there. Ghatkamble’s primary role was the exchange of money.”

When asked why the second sample was taken and whether there was any intelligence inputs about tampering with the sample, Amitesh Kumar told the media, “After looking at the report of the physical examination around 11 am and with some intelligence reports we were receiving, we realised that we can not rule out the possibility of tampering. That is why a second sample was taken secretly to be tested at a different hospital.”

Late on Monday afternoon, Dr Taware, Dr Halnor and Ghatkamble were produced before court. In his remand application to the court, the investigation officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunil Tambe told the court, “A probe has revealed that financial transactions amounted to bribes taken by the accused in the case to change the sample. For that we will be searching their homes. Police custody of the accused is required for the recovery of the money.”

“The minor’s father has been named as an accused in the charges of changing the sample. Technical evidence suggests that the father was in direct contact with Dr Taware,” Kumar told reporters earlier on Monday.

When asked whether the role of any other person other than the father or any other functionaries from Sassoon General Hospital were being investigated, Kumar said, “I want to reiterate that we are probing this case with utmost diligence. All possible angles are being investigated. We are also looking into the CCTV footage from the Sassoon Hospital. All possible angles are being probed.”