Pune:

The blood sample of the Pune teen, whose late-night Porsche dash left two young engineers dead, may have been swapped with his mother’s sample to manipulate the alcohol test report and get him off the hook.

With the investigation into the chilling crash revealing massive irregularities in the 17-year-old’s medical examination at the state-run Sassoon Hospital, Maharashtra Medical Education had appointed a three-member committee headed by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of Mumbai-based Grants Medical College, to look into the matter.

The panel’s report, police sources said, has revealed that blood samples of a woman and two elderly men had been collected with the intention of switching the teen accused’s sample. Police now suspect that the teen’s mother sample had been collected as part of this plan, the sources added.

Police now plan to collect samples of some suspects to get to the bottom of this, the sources said. They are looking for the teen’s mother after they did not find her home.

The teen’s mother had earlier appeared in a video message in which she had said that a viral video purportedly featuring her son was fake. She had also appealed to the police to “protect” her son and broke down on camera.

While the teen accused is at an observation home, his realtor father and grandfather have been arrested. The family, it is alleged, tried to pressure their driver into taking the blame for the accident. If the sample under probe is found to be his mother’s, it will point to the involvement of another family member in the cover-up attempt.

Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Kostha, 24-year-old engineers from Madhya Pradesh, were killed when a speeding Porsche hit their bike late on May 19. The teen, alleged to be driving the car drunk, was out on bail within 15 hours on conditions widely described as flimsy — he was asked to write a 300-word essay, told to work with traffic cops for 15 days and seek treatment for his drinking habit.

Amid growing outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board modified its order and sent him to an observation home till June 5, as a decision is taken on the police plea for permission to try the teen as an adult.

The investigation later found that the blood report of the teen accused was manipulated by switching samples. Dr Ajay Taware, head of Sassoon Hospital’s forensic medicine department, chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff Atul Ghatkamble have been arrested in this connection. The probe has revealed that Dr Halnor and Ghatkamble received Rs 3 lakh from Dr Taware to change the blood samples, a police officer has said.

Pune:

The case against the Pune teen – who killed two people early Sunday while drunk and driving his father’s Rs 2.5 crore Porsche supercar – took an additional twist Thursday evening.

The police will now also investigate potential lapses in protocol in the hours following the incident, including possible preferential treatment for the 17-year-old son of a prominent city builder.

Specifically, a senior cop – Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashwini Rakh – will question officers and staff at the police station in Yerwada where the complaint was first filed. The allegations include underplaying the horrific nature of the incident in the first write-ups and delaying a medical examination, which should have been done immediately to establish the boy’s blood alcohol level.

But perhaps most shocking is a claim that the cops were more interested in ‘investigating’ Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta – the 24-year-old software professionals who were killed.

Pizza, Burger For Teen In Pune Porsche Crash?

Meanwhile, an opposition politician has said the boy was handled cautiously and even given food – pizzas and burgers – while in police custody as an accused in a stomach-churning road accident.

The claim was made by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief and two-time ex-Lok Sabha MP Prakash Ambedkar, who posted on X, “Officers at Yerwada Police Station spent more time questioning the relationship between Anish and Ashwini – IT professionals fatally knocked down by drunk minor -while the accused was allegedly served burger and pizza”, and posed six questions to the cops.

Officers at Yerawada police station spent more time questioning the relationship between Anish and Ashwini — the two IT professionals who were fatally knocked down by the drunk minor — while the accused was allegedly served burger and pizza.

This is how the system benefits the…

— Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) May 22, 2024

Among the questions he raised (and which may now be answered) were the eight-hour delay in administering a blood alcohol test and why the boy was not sent directly to a remand home.

READ | “1 Hour TV, 2 Hours Play Time”: Pune Teen’s Remand Home Schedule

There was outrage after the Juvenile Board gave the boy bail within 15 hours on conditions as ridiculous as two bonds of Rs 7,500 each and writing a 300-word essay on road accidents. Late Wednesday that order was revised and the boy was sent to a remand home till June 5.

At present the boy faces a drunk driving charge that, for a first-time offence, limits punishment to six months jail and a fine of Rs 10,000. A charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder will be levied should the Juvenile Board allow him to be tried as an adult.

Rahul Gandhi On Pune Porsche Crash

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has also questioned the cops over preferential treatment for the boy, asking why accused in similar cases – if they are auto or cab drivers – don’t get bail as quickly.

READ | With 7 Conditions, Teen Porsche Driver Got Bail On Grandad’s Say

“When a teen from a rich family drinks alcohol and kills two people in a Porsche… he is told to pen an ‘essay’. Why are bus, truck, and auto drivers, or cabbies, not asked to write such essays?”

“The question is of equal justice (for) the poor and prosperous…” he said.

Father’s Mobile Phone Found

Police have also found the mobile phone of the boy’s father, who was arrested the day after the incident from Sambhajinagar (earlier Aurangabad) after an elaborate rescue plan was thwarted.

READ | Pune Teen’s Father Had Big Escape Plan. How Was He Caught?

The phone – understood to be the father’s original, which he left at home while trying to escape the cops – is now in the custody of the Crime Branch, which says he is not cooperating with the probe.

The father faces a charge of willful neglect of his son under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

NDTV Explains | Charges Against Pune Builder, Son Who Killed 2 With Porsche

The bar where the boy was served alcohol has been sealed, and its owner and staff are in police custody. They are being investigated for selling liquor to an under-aged individual.

At 17 years and 8 months, the boy was four months short of the legal age for driving and eight years shy of Maharashtra’s legal drinking age, which is 25.

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Pune:

The teen driver, whose drunken drive in a Porsche Taycan left two 24-year-old software engineers dead in Pune, was out on bail within 15 hours of the crash. The bail order says he was being released on the assurance of his grandfather that he will keep the teen away from “bad company”. It has now emerged that the grandfather, who is learnt to have started the family’s real estate business, has links with gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, widely known as Chhota Rajan.

The matter dates back to a 2009 attack on a Shiv Sena corporarator Ajay Bhosale. According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the boy’s grandfather was locked in a property dispute with his brother and had allegedly contacted Chhota Rajan to mediate. The gangster got in touch with Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale, who knew the brother. But Mr Bhosale was busy with the Assembly polls that year and refused to intervene. The boy’s grandfather suspected that the Shiv Sena leader was backing his brother and allegedly asked Chhota Rajan to bump him off, the CBI chargesheet said. The Shiv Sena leader’s car was fired at near Pune’s Koregaon Park, but bullet missed him and hit his driver instead, injuring him.

Mr Bhosale, who is now with the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, told NDTV that his ‘supari’ was given by the builder, who is not being named because the accused in the Porsche case is a minor. The grandfather was also listed as an accused in the chargesheet, but not arrested. The attempt to murder case is now part of a bunch of cases against Chhota Rajan pending before a Mumbai CBI court.

In fact, back then too, Pune Police had faced questions regarding its probe into the attempt to murder case. Significantly, despite an underworld connection, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act was not invoked in the case and only IPC sections were invoked. In the FIR registered at Bund Garden police station, the builder grandfather was not named. It was only after the CBI took over the investigation that he came under the radar and was named an accused. But while most other accused were arrested, he secured an anticipatory bail.

Amid growing outrage over the software engineers’ deaths and allegations of preferential treatment, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was questioned about the family’s mafia links. The BJP leader, who is also in charge of the Home portfolio, assured a thorough probe. “Whatever be the links, these will be thoroughly investigated and action will be taken in the matter.”

Amid growing outrage, the juvenile justice board has modified its order and the teen has been remanded in an observation home. The board is also examining a police request for permission to try the accused as an adult. His father has also been arrested under sections of Juvenile Justice Act. The boy’s grandfather was questioned today by officers of Pune Police crime branch, which is probing the Porsche case.   

New Delhi:

For some, the Pune Porsche crash is a tragic example of why minors should not be allowed to drive. Many see it as a test of the country’s justice system. For another section, the question is whether privilege will again enable the teen to get off lightly. But for two homes in Madhya Pradesh, it is about a vacuum that nothing can ever fill. For them, “the Porsche case” signifies endless pain.

Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Kostha were two 24-year-old engineers who left their small city homes with many dreams. That night in Pune, they were out to meet friends and were returning on a bike when a drunken teen at the wheel of his high-end car hit them from behind. Ashwini, eyewitnesses said, was thrown 20 feet high and landed hard. Aneesh was thrown at a parked car. Both died on the spot.

At her Jabalpur home, Ashwini’s mother Mamata is still in shock. “We were supposed to send her off in a doli (to the groom’s house) after her wedding, but we were forced to carry her arthi (bier),” she told news agency PTI.

“We want justice for Ashwini. The minor boy and his parents should get stringent punishment. They have not raised him properly. They should have not given him the car,” she said about the 17-year-old driver, who has now been remanded in an observation home as the Juvenile Justice Board decides whether he will be tried as an adult.

Police have said the teenager was heavily drunk when he drove the Porsche, reportedly at 200 km per hour. The Juvenile Justice Board had earlier granted bail to the boy on conditions widely considered very flimsy. The conditions included writing a 300-word essay on “road accident and their solution”, studying traffic rules for 15 days and attending counselling for his drinking habit and psychiatric treatment.

“Is it a joke? What essay will he write? A joke is playing out,” Ms Koshta said. She described Ashwini as a “very talented girl”. “She was one in a million. She had so many dreams,” she said, tears rolling down her eyes.

Ashwini’s brother Samprit told NDTV she was “smart” and “independent”. “She excelled in every field. She had plans to come to our father’s birthday next month and she had also planned a retirement party for him,” he said.

About 150 km away is another mother, whose world turned upside down that night. Speaking to NDTV, Savita Awadhiya held herself together for some questions, before grief won and she could not hold back tears anymore. “He killed my son. Now, I will never be able to meet my son. It is the boy’s mistake, you can call it murder. If he had not made such a big mistake, no one would have died. If only his family members had paid attention, today my son would have been alive,” she said.

Ms Awadhiya said the teen driver must get tough punishment. “He should face the strictest punishment. They are trying very hard to save him. They are people with money and think can save their son. But my son died,” she said, appealing to the Maharashtra government to help her get justice.

Remembering her son, she said Aneesh wanted to pursue an MBA. “He was very cheerful, he would make everyone his own. Earlier this month, he came home for an anniversary. He was planning to visit again soon. He had told me he was getting me a gift for me.”

Anish’s father Om Awadhiya said he was a responsible son who shouldered family responsibilities. His younger brother was staying with him in Pune and he took care of him.

“The culprit will get punishment… But how can we bring back our child now? He spoke to his mother two days before the accident and told us he will come soon. He was a big support for the family. What will happen to my younger son now? Who will take care of him in Pune?” he said.

Pune:

Fifteen hours after a late-night Porsche dash in Pune left two 24-year-old software engineers dead, the 17-year-old at the wheels was at his home, thanks to a bail order with conditions that were widely seen as appallingly flimsy. Three days later, he is at a child observation home, waiting for a decision on whether he will be tried as an adult, and his father in jail.

On Sunday, hours after the chilling accident, the Juvenile Justice Board had granted bail to the teen, who was caught drinking on camera shortly before he drove the high-end car at over 240 km per hour, with a set of conditions. The conditions included writing a 300-word essay on “road accident and their solution”, studying traffic rules for 15 days and attending counselling for his drinking habit and psychiatric treatment.

News of the bail and its conditions sparked massive outrage on social media, with many alleging that the teenager, son of a prominent Pune realtor, had been let off very lightly for a heinous crime that led to two untimely deaths. Pune police said they had urged the board for permission to try the accused as an adult, but it refused.

Amid growing outrage, police on Monday registered a case against the teen’s father under the Juvenile Justice Act. A case was also registered against the owners and staff of two bars that served alcohol to the 17-year-old and his two friends.

The next day, the realtor father was arrested after GPS tracking foiled his elaborate escape plan that involved multiple vehicles. The bar owners and staff were taken into custody too. In a surprise visit, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reached Pune to review the case. 

Responding to the Pune police’s review petition, the Juvenile Justice Board issued a notice to the teenaged accused. During the hearing, the board modified its earlier order, remanding the accused in an observation home till June 5. On police’s plea for permission to try him as an adult, the board has sought a reply from the defendant.

Speaking to NDTV, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said they moved two applications with the court on Sunday. “One was this that is a heinous crime and the accused must be tried as an adult. Our second application was that till the time this is decided, the accused must be at an observation home. These applications were disallowed that day. So we sought a review, we have got a favourable order on both counts today,” he said.

The top cop said the accused’s blood test reports, which are yet to come in, are “not very important”. “This case is not about an accident in which a mistake happened under the influence of alcohol and people died. Our case is that he had full knowledge that his conduct… he parties in two bars, rashly drives a car without a number plate on a narrow, congested street. He was fully in his senses and he knew that people may die because of his actions. Our case is under Section 304 of IPC which carries a jail term of 10 years. And this is not our stand after the media outrage, this is our stand since Sunday.”

Mr Kumar said the accused’s counsel has been asked to respond by tomorrow to the police plea of trying him as an adult. “We believe we will get the permission to try him as an adult,” he said.

The accused’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, told the media that the teenager will be at a rehabilitation home till June 5. “During this time, he will undergo counselling and other steps will be taken to bring him to the mainstream,” he said.

In Madhya Pradesh, over a thousand kilometres away, the families of Ashwini Koshtha and Aneesh Awadhiya, who were killed in the accident, are living through their worst nightmare. The families have termed this “murder” and not an accident.

Speaking to NDTV, Aneesh’s mother Savita Awadhiya broke down last night. “He killed my son. Now, I will never be able to meet my son,” she said. “It is the boy’s mistake, you can call it murder, because if he had not made such a big mistake, no one would have died. If only his family members had paid attention, today my son would have been alive. This is murder,” she said.

Ashwini Koshta’s mother Mamata Koshta told news agency PTI that she was very talented and had so many dreams. “We were supposed to send her off in a palanquin (to the groom’s house) after her marriage. Now we are forced to carry her body on a bier,” she said.

“We want justice for Ashwini. The minor boy and his parents should get stringent punishment. They have not raised him properly. They should have not given him the car,” she said.