New CCTV footage has emerged showing an employee at Pune’s Sassoon General Hospital allegedly receiving a bribe in connection with the Pune Porsche accident case. The footage, captured in the Yerwada area, shows a middleman, Ashpak Makandar, handing over a bribe to hospital employee Atul Ghatkamble. The police suspect this bribe was part of a conspiracy to swap the blood samples of a 17-year-old driver involved in a fatal crash.
The accident, which occurred on May 19 in Pune’s Kalyani Nagar area, involved a Porsche driven by the teenager, resulting in the deaths of two software engineers, Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa. The Porsche was reportedly traveling at 160 kmph at the time of the crash.
The bribe, amounting to ₹3 lakh, was allegedly exchanged on the premises of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). Following suspicions of tampered blood samples, the police took another sample at Aundh Government Hospital and a third sample from the boy’s father for DNA comparison, which confirmed the initial sample had been manipulated.
Police have arrested Ghatkamble, along with Dr. Ajay Taware, the suspended head of the hospital’s forensics department, and Dr. Shrihari Halnor, the former casualty medical officer, for their roles in the alleged sample swapping. The teenager’s parents have also been arrested for their involvement in the conspiracy.
The incident was reportedly preceded by a party celebrating the boy’s Class 12 results, during which he and his friends were drinking and driving around the city. The teenager, son of well-known builder Vishal Agrawal, lacked a valid driving license at the time of the crash.
Authorities have registered three separate cases: one for the accident, another against a pub for serving liquor to the minor, and a third involving the wrongful confinement and coercion of the family driver to take the blame for the accident. The accused’s grandfather has been arrested in connection with the third case.
The JJB has extended the minor’s observation home remand until June 25, citing concerns that his release could hinder the ongoing investigation.
