Mumbai Hoarding Collapse: Businessman Who Put Up Ghatkopar Billboard Arrested

In a significant development following the tragic incident in Mumbai, Bhavesh Bhinde, the director of M/s Ego Media Pvt Ltd, was arrested in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This arrest comes in the wake of a catastrophic event where a massive billboard installed by his company collapsed in suburban Ghatkopar, claiming 16 lives and injuring 75 others. The incident occurred on Monday evening amidst gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, causing the 120 feet x 120 feet hoarding to fall onto a nearby petrol pump.

The Mumbai Police's crime branch spearheaded a multi-state operation to apprehend Bhinde after he became untraceable post the tragedy. Efforts to locate him involved at least eight teams dispatched across various locations. His last known position was near Lonavala, a hill station approximately 140km from Mumbai. In an attempt to evade police tracking, Bhinde switched off his mobile phone after briefly staying in a private property in Lonavala. He then instructed his car driver to procure a new SIM card, only to leave the location before the driver's return.

Following his departure from Lonavala, Bhinde visited relatives in Ahmadabad before moving to Rajasthan. The crime branch, acting on specific intelligence about his whereabouts, managed to arrest him in Udaipur on Thursday evening. Plans are underway to transport Bhinde back to Mumbai by flight early Friday, where he will be presented before a city court.

In the aftermath of the collapse, the Mumbai police initiated an extensive inquiry into Bhinde's movements by questioning his relatives and family members. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC has been registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station against Bhinde, alongside all directors of Ego Media, its officials, and employees. This legal action underscores the severity of the negligence attributed to the advertising firm and its management in relation to this devastating event.