Pune Porsche Crash: 2 More Arrested For 'Swapping' Blood Samples; Total 9 Persons Held So Far

Pune police on Tuesday said that they have arrested two more persons in connection with the alleged blood samples swapping in the Porsche crash case, taking the total number of arrests made in the case to nine.

"The blood samples of two minors who were with the juvenile accused in the car, were swapped with those of these two persons, who include a father of a minor," Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.

A Pune court later remanded the two accused to police custody till August 26.

The luxury Porsche Taycan car, driven by a drunk 17-year-old boy, crashed into two motorbike-borne IT professionals on May 19 in Pune's Kalyani Nagar, leaving both of them dead.

The teen's father -- Vishal Agarwal -- a prominent real estate developer was also later arrested in connection with the case. The Pune police also arrested the doctors - Dr Ajay Taware, then HOD of forensic medicine department, Dr Shrihari Halnor and one Atul Ghatkamble, a staffer from Sassoon.

The medical staff were arrested for allegedly swapping the minor's blood samples with those of his mother.

The two other arrested accused, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, acted as middlemen between the father and the doctors for facilitating the financial transactions to swap the blood samples.

A 900-page long chargesheet was filed by the Pune Police against the seven arrested accused earlier.

Last week, the prosecution in the case told the court that blood samples of not just the accused minor but those of the two friends accompanying him were also replaced at the Sassoon hospital to establish that they were not drunk.

The prosecution said that Dr Halnor had swapped the blood samples on the instructions of the Agarwals and Dr Taware, and received Rs 2.5 lakh for it.

Notably, the minor accused himself has been released from the observation home following a High Court order.