Ghatkopar Billboard Owner Bhavesh Bhinde On The Run: Mumbai Police Launches Manhunt

A tragic incident occurred on May 13 in Mumbai's Ghatkopar East when a massive billboard collapsed due to a brief spell of unseasonal rain and gusty winds. The billboard, owned by Ego Media Pvt Ltd, fell on a bustling petrol pump, trapping nearly 100 people underneath it. This catastrophe resulted in the death of 14 individuals and injured 74 others. The advertising hoarding, measuring 120x120 feet, was noted for its size, with Ego Media even applying for it to be recognized as the largest commercial hoarding in India by the Limca Book of Records.

In the aftermath, more than 10 police teams from Mumbai and Gujarat are intensively searching for Bhavesh Bhinde, the 51-year-old director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd. His last known location was in Lonavala on Tuesday evening. Bhinde became a person of interest in the case following the first reported casualty due to the collapse. It's been revealed that he turned off his phone and fled the city, and has since been untraceable after briefly turning his phone on in Lonavala.

The search for Bhinde stretches across Lonavala, Mumbai, Pune, various airports, and his hometown in Gujarat. Police have also been investigating his Mulund residence and the homes of some relatives, but to no avail. The Pant Nagar police have registered a case against Bhinde under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others.

Bhinde's legal troubles do not end with the billboard incident. There are two other cases registered against him in Mulund for rape, molestation, and cheating. A woman in his office filed the rape and molestation case against him in January this year, and though Bhinde managed to secure anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court, a chargesheet has been filed. The cheating case dates back to 2016. Additionally, before 2009, Bhinde had been fined 21 times for various violations under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888.

Bhinde also dipped his toes in politics, having contested the Maharashtra assembly election as an independent candidate from the Mulund constituency in 2009. Meanwhile, the Mumbai police are consulting several billboard contractors to better understand the nature of their work and determine who is responsible for the tragic incident. Although the case is currently with the local police, the high death toll has led the crime branch to consider taking over the investigation.