Latest news with #Taware
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Need time to question Taware on 10 kidney transplants cleared by panel he headed: Cops to court
Pune: The prosecution on Monday told a magisterial court that police needed sufficient time to question Dr Ajay Taware, the suspended Sassoon General Hospital doctor, in custody in relation to the 10 kidney swap transplants that were cleared by regional authorisation committee for organ transplant in 2022 when he was heading it. Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Ganesh Ingale and his team produced Taware before the court at the end of his initial police remand. Prosecutor Digambar Khopade submitted that police had already secured the relevant papers, video evidence of interviews of donors and receivers in these 10 transplant cases from Sassoon hospital, bank details, and related documents. Taware has so far not cooperated with police, he said. Defence lawyer Sudhir Shah said that his client had been wrongly implicated in the case. After hearing both sides, judicial magistrate first class S R Badave extended Taware's police custody till June 4. On May 28, police secured Taware's custody from Yerawada central prison where he had been lodged since his arrest on May 27, 2024, in the blood sample swap case linked to the Porsche Taycan car crash on May 19 last year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Police formally arrested him in the 2022 kidney swap transplant case at Ruby Hall Clinic based on a state health department inquiry panel's report in 2022 that indicted him of misusing his official position to clear the transplant proposal based on bogus persons and forged documents. Taware headed regional authorisation committee as well as Sassoon authority committee and was medical superintendent of the hospital at the time when the transplant process took place and was completed at Ruby Hall Clinic. On Monday, Khopade submitted that police needed time to determine if any other person from the medical field or any other individual was involved in the crime. He said that Taware has so far given vague and misleading replies when asked to explain on what basis regional authorisation committee granted permission to the donors and recipients when there were discrepancies in the documents, such as their age and their movements, which were also found to be suspicious. They could not provide satisfactory replies to the questions posed by the committee, he submitted. There were discrepancies in the statements of a man and a woman, who were shown as organ donor and recipient, pertaining to the sale of their agricultural land, the prosecutor said. Police are in the process of analysing Taware's bank accounts to determine if he received any pecuniary benefits from the crime. His call detail records are also being analysed for the purpose of collecting evidence, he added.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Sassoon hospital's suspended senior doctor held in 2022 kidney racket case in Pune
Pune: Police on Wednesday night arrested Dr Ajay Taware, the suspended head of Sassoon General Hospital's forensic science department, in the 2022 kidney transplant case at Ruby Hall Clinic after securing his custody from Yerawada central jail earlier in the evening. Taware, who had been in jail since his arrest on May 27, 2024, as a co-accused in the blood sample swap case linked to the Porsche Taycan car crash on May 19 last year, was the head of the Regional Authorisation Committee (RAC) for organ transplant as well as the Sassoon Authority Committee and was the medical superintendent at the time when the transplant process took place and was completed at Ruby Hall Clinic. RAC is responsible for scrutinising organ transplant papers related to the proposed donor and the receiver, sent by the hospital where the transplant is to be performed, and clearing them on establishing all credentials. "We arrested Taware based on a five-member state health department inquiry committee's report of May 2022 that has indicted him and four others in RAC for misusing their position to aid kidney swap transplant based on bogus persons and forged documents," investigating officer ACP Ganesh Ingale told TOI. "The health department's then deputy director for Nashik region, Dr Raghunath Bhoye, headed the panel." Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, when asked why it took so long (three years) for police to arrest Taware in this case, said, "We took a review of the case again, and post-consultation and study took the call to arrest him." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo On Thursday afternoon, Ingale and his team produced Taware before judicial magistrate first class SR Badve, who ordered the doctor's remand in police custody till June 2. "A total of nine swap kidney transplants were authorised and conducted during Taware's tenure as the RAC chief and police needed time to thoroughly investigate these matters," prosecutor Digambar Khopde told the court. The prosecutor submitted that Taware by virtue of being the head of RAC and the Sassoon Authority Committee had all the hospital bodies under his control and as a medical superintendent, he was well-versed with the administrative aspects and rules, processes and documentation work relating to organ transplant. "It was RAC's responsibility to see that the papers of the donor and the receiver were genuine and that no financial transaction was involved behind the transplant proposal. Still, RAC gave its go-ahead to the organ transplant based on bogus persons and forged papers," the prosecutor said. Khopade submitted that police needed time to investigate who else were part of the process to clear the swap kidney transplant, whether money was exchanged in the process, how RAC failed to notice the difference of age between the wife of the organ receiver and the woman who posed as the wife of the receiver at the time of interview before RAC, and other aspects.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Pune doctor in Porsche row arrested in 2022 kidney racket case
Representative image PUNE: Pune police arrested on Wednesday night Dr Ajay Taware, the suspended head of Sassoon General Hospital's forensic science department, in the 2022 kidney transplant case at Ruby Hall Clinic after securing his custody from Yerawada Central Jail earlier the same evening, reports Vishwas Kothari & Asseem Shaikh. On Thursday afternoon, investigating officer ACP Ganesh Ingale produced Taware before judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) SR Badve, who ordered the doctor remanded in police custody till June 2. Taware, who was in jail since his arrest on May 27, 2024 as a co-accused in the blood sample swap case linked to the May 19, 2024 Porsche Taycan car crash, was the head of the Regional Authorisation Committee (RAC) for Organ Transplant as well as the Sassoon Authority Committee and was medical superintendent at the time when the transplant process took place and was completed at Ruby Hall Clinic. "We arrested Taware based on a five-member state health department inquiry committee's report of May 2022 that has indicted him and four others in the RAC for misusing their position to aid kidney swap transplant based on bogus persons and forged documents. The department's then deputy director for the Nashik region, Dr Raghunath Bhoye, headed the inquiry panel," Ingale said. Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, when asked why it took so long (three years) for the police to arrest Taware in this case, said, "We undertook a review of the case again and post-consultation and study took the call to arrest him." With inputs from Gitesh Shelke
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Doctor accused in Pune Porsche crash held in kidney racket
Dr Ajay Taware, former head of forensic medicine department at the government-run Sassoon General Hospital and an accused in the Pune Porsche car crash case, has now been arrested by Pune city police in connection with alleged malpractices in a kidney transplant conducted at Ruby Hall Clinic in 2022. Police took Taware into custody from Yerwada Central jail on Wednesday. Cops produced him before a magistrate court on Thursday. The court remanded him to police custody till June 2 for further investigation. A first Information Report (FIR) in the kidney transplant malpractice case was lodged at Koregaon Park police station on May 11, 2022. Police said a woman, Sarika Sutar from Kolhapur, had been facing financial problems and allegedly agreed to give her kidney to Amit Salunkhe of Moshi (in Pimpri Chinchwad) by posing as his wife Sujata Salunkhe for Rs 15 lakh offered to her by two 'agents'. A 'kidney swap operation' was performed at the Pune based Ruby Hall Clinic in March 2022, when Sarika's kidney was given to a woman hailing from Baramati, while the kidney of Baramati woman's mother was given to Amit Salunkhe. Police said kidney swapping is allowed once all legal norms are fulfilled, but any financial transaction and forgery in doing so is illegal. After the kidney swap, Sarika did not receive the money she was promised. So she complained to Pune city police and Ruby Hall Clinic authorities. After a preliminary probe, police referred the matter to the state health department, which submitted its inquiry report to a court in Pune. Based on directions issued by the court, a case was registered at Koregaon Park police station under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, along with Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. Dr Sanjog Kadam, Deputy Director of Medical Services, Pune, lodged the FIR in this case. Police initially booked 15 people, including Sarika, Amit Salunkhe, hsi real wife Sujata, alleged 'agents' Ravi Rodge and Abhijit Gathne as well as senior management members and doctors of Ruby Hall Clinic. The FIR stated that fake documents were submitted to the hospital for kidney transplant. In these documents, allegedly prepared by the 'agents', Sarika Sutar posed as Amit's wife Sujata Salunkhe. The FIR held the Ruby Hall authorities and doctors responsible, claiming they did not thoroughly scrutinise the documents and sent them to the Regional Authorisation Committee at Sassoon General Hospital. Police said Dr Taware had been heading this Regional Authorisation Committee and he allegedly allowed the 'kidney swap transplant' without the forged documents being verified submitted by the kidney donor (Sarika) and organ receiver Amit. Police told the court on Thursday that Sarika appeared as Sujata Salunkhe before the committee headed by Taware. Police said Sarika did not give satisfactory answers to the committee. There were discrepancies in her statements pertaining to property and previous medical treatments she received from Amit Salunkhe. Police said Sarika's behaviour before the committee was suspicious, Besides, it was visible her age was different from the actual age of Sujata Salunkhe. Still, the committee headed by Taware allowed the fake person for the 'kidney swap operation', police said. Police sought Taware's custody for seven days to probe if he was involved in any malpractices in the nine kidney swap transplants held during his tenure as head of the Regional Authorisation Committee at Sassoon hospital. Earlier, the police had arrested two agents or middlemen Ravi Rodge and Abhijit Gathne in this case. Police informed the court that chargesheet was filed against the duo on July 11, 2022. Also, a supplementary chargesheet was filed against Sarika Sutar, Amit Salunkhe and two others on October 10, 2022. Police told the court that charesheet was not filed against authorities and doctors of Ruby Hall Clinic as they were found involved in any illegal financial transactions acts in this case and had conducted the 'swap kidney operation' legally. Police said one Bhau Sawant is a wanted accused, while Amit's real wife Sujata was not chargesheeted. Meanwhile, last month, the Maharashtra Medical Council suspended the medical licence of Dr Ajay Taware, for 'gross misconduct and breach of medical ethics', following his alleged involvement in the Pune Porsche crash case. ACP Ganesh Ingle of crime branch is investigating the case further. Role in Porsche crash case Two IT engineers lost their lives after the minor driver of a Porsche car allegedly crashed his vehicle into them, leading to their deaths, on May 19, 2024. The police investigation revealed that when the minor driver, the son of a prominent realtor, was taken to Sassoon Hospital after the accident for a medical examination, his blood sample was allegedly replaced with his mother's. The police arrested the minor's parents and others including Dr Taware for their alleged role in swapping blood samples. A DNA report on August 9, 2024, confirmed blood samples of two friends of the minor driver were also swapped at the hospital.
News18
6 days ago
- News18
Pune Porsche Case Accused Doctor Now Arrested In Kidney Transplant Racket
Last Updated: Dr Ajay Taware, who is currently lodged at the Yerwada Central Jail, was arrested last year in connection to Pune Porsche case. Pune Police on Thursday arrested Sassoon General Hospital's former medical superintendent, Dr Ajay Taware in connection with an alleged kidney transplant racket at a leading private hospital. Taware, who is currently lodged at the Yerwada Central Jail, was arrested last year for allegedly tampering with the blood samples of a 17-year-old boy accused of crashing a Porsche car into a motorbike in Pune's Kalyani Nagar and killing two persons. He has now been taken into custody by the city crime branch with the 2022 kidney transplant racket at the Ruby Hall Clinic, a leading private hospital here, reported news agency PTI. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingale informed the doctor will be produced before the court today. In 2022, Taware was head of the Regional Authorisation Committee that approved kidney transplants. Jailed Doctor Arrested In Kidney Transplant Racket In May 2022, the Pune Police registered a case against 15 persons, including the managing trustee of the Ruby Hall Clinic and some of its employees, in connection with an alleged malpractice during a kidney transplant procedure in March that year. According to PTI, a woman from Kolhapur, who was allegedly promised Rs 15 lakh, fraudulently posed as the wife of a man who needed a transplant and donated her kidney in 2022 to a young woman patient. In turn, the young woman's mother donated her kidney to the man. Notably, such a swap involving two patients and their relatives is carried out when the patients cannot receive a kidney from their own kin because of a blood group mismatch. On March 29, 2022, four days after undergoing the transplant surgery at the Ruby Hall Clinic, the woman revealed her real identity after she had a dispute over money. (With agency inputs) First Published: May 29, 2025, 14:22 IST
