In a shocking twist to the hit-and-run case involving a minor driving a Porsche that resulted in the deaths of two engineers, police revealed that Dr. Ajay Taware, the head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Sassoon General Hospital, exchanged 14 phone calls with the minor's father within two hours before the collection of the blood sample. This information emerged a day after Dr. Taware, along with Dr. Shrihari Halnor, a Casualty Medical Officer, and Atul Ghatkamble, a hospital staffer, were arrested for allegedly switching the blood sample of the accused minor.

On Monday, the police, seeking remand for Dr. Taware and his co-accused, informed a local court that the trio had accepted bribes to alter the minor's blood sample. The investigation uncovered that the minor’s original sample was discarded in a dustbin, and another person’s blood sample was submitted for testing to check for the presence of alcohol.

Following the arrests, police conducted searches at premises associated with Dr. Taware, Dr. Halnor, and Ghatkamble. They recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from Dr. Halnor and Rs 50,000 from Ghatkamble, adding weight to the bribery allegations.

The arrests and the findings of the police probe have cast a shadow over the state-run Sassoon General Hospital and raised serious concerns about the integrity of medical and forensic practices in handling legal cases. The case continues to unfold as investigators dig deeper into the extent of the tampering and the involvement of other potential accomplices.

This development adds another layer of complexity to the tragic incident that occurred on May 19, where two young engineers lost their lives. The minor, allegedly driving under the influence, is now at the center of a controversy that not only involves reckless driving but also a potential cover-up facilitated by trusted medical professionals.