Pune : Dr. Ajay Taware, currently lodged in Pune’s Yerawada Central Jail for masterminding the tampering of blood samples in the high-profile Pune Porsche accident case, has now been linked to a kidney transplant racket involving a private hospital.
The case came to light after a complaint was registered at the Koregaon Park Police Station, prompting the formation of a probe committee headed by a retired judge. The committee submitted its findings to the state government, which revealed Dr. Taware’s alleged involvement in the organ trafficking network.
The racket was initially uncovered following a complaint by the Deputy Director of the Health Services Board, Dr. Sanjog Kadam, regarding illegal financial transactions during a transplant procedure. The ensuing investigation exposed a well-organised network involving hospital staff, brokers, donors, and recipients.
At the time of the illegal activities, he was heading an eight-member transplant approval committee. In a related move, the Maharashtra Medical Council suspended the medical registrations of Dr. Ajay Taware and Dr. Shrihari Halnor. Ajay Taware, who previously served as the head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Sassoon General Hospital, was later reinstated as the hospital’s medical superintendent in December 2023.
His earlier removal from the position in April 2022 came in the wake of an illegal organ transplant case at Ruby Hall Clinic, following a complaint by a widow who alleged she had been promised 15 lakh in exchange for a kidney.
The developments unfolded amid continued public outrage over the May 19, 2024, hit-and-run case involving a 17-year-old son of builder Vishal Agarwal of Brahma Realty and Infrastructure who allegedly rammed his Porsche car into a two-wheeler in an inebriated state, killing two IT professionals, Aneesh Awadhia and Ashwini Koshta. The case gained national attention due to alleged attempts to cover up the crime and the accused being granted bail within 15 hours of the incident.