Mumbai billboard crash accused Bhavesh Bhinde sent to police custody till May 26

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Friday sent Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the gigantic hoarding that crashed in Ghatkopar claiming 16 lives, to police custody till May 26.

Bhinde, Director of EGO Media Pvt Ltd., was arrested from Rajasthan's Udaipur town on Thursday and brought to Mumbai.

He was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Esplanade Courts, K.S. Zanwar who sent him to 10 days police custody.

On May 13, when a sudden dust storm followed by rains, thunder and strong winds lashed Mumbai, the mammoth illegal hoarding had crashed on some homes and a petrol pump, crushing more than 100 people and 71 big and small vehicles.

Soon after the tragedy, the Bhandup police booked Bhinde under various charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and launched investigations.

Seeking 14-day custody, the Mumbai police prosecutor said that Bhinde’s firm owns several more hoardings in the city and the police needed to carry out a thorough investigation. This would include the financial aspects as it requires at least Rs 5 crore to manage one hoarding, the details of who granted permission for erecting the billboards, its structural stability clearance, and related aspects.

Bhinde’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant contended that the grounds for the remand plea were invalid as the police did not inform his client about the reasons for his arrest.