Shivani Agarwal, mother of the 17-year-old involved in a Porsche crash in Pune, reportedly had her blood sample swapped with her son’s at Sassoon General Hospital, according to police sources.
Dr. Shrihari Halnor, one of the accused doctors, allegedly manipulated the blood sample of the teen driver, with assistance from hospital staff.
Agarwal, who was present during the procedure, is now evading arrest following the apprehension of Dr. Halnor and Dr. Ajay Tawade, another suspect, say police sources. Efforts are underway to locate her.
The teenager, son of a local builder, had consumed alcohol at a restaurant and club before crashing the Porsche into a bike on May 19, resulting in the deaths of two IT professionals, Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta.
Dr. Halnor, the former chief medical officer of Sassoon General Hospital, was terminated from his position and subsequently arrested. Police assert that Dr. Halnor admitted to altering the blood sample under Dr. Tawade’s instructions.
Previously, the hospital’s dean, Vinayak Kale, disclosed that Dr. Tawade was appointed as superintendent based on recommendations from MLA Sunil Tingre and with approval from the state’s medical education minister Hasan Mushrif.
Despite facing accusations in kidney transplant and drug cases, Dr. Tawade was appointed head of the Forensic Medical Department, as per Kale.
Before the minor’s blood samples were collected, Vishal Agarwal, the teen driver’s father, communicated with Dr. Tawade through various means including WhatsApp, FaceTime, and phone calls, according to police sources. Fourteen calls were exchanged between 8:30 am and 10:40 am on May 19, preceding the blood sample collection at 11 am.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report initially indicated no alcohol in the first blood sample, prompting suspicion. Subsequent tests at another hospital, along with DNA analysis, confirmed the samples belonged to different individuals.
These findings have led investigators to suspect tampering by doctors at Sassoon General Hospital in an effort to shield the accused juvenile.