Mumbai billboard collapse: Owner Bhavesh Bhinde brought to Mumbai after arrest in Rajasthan

PTC News Desk: Businessman Bhavesh Bhinde, whose company installed the billboard that fell in Ghatkopar, was taken into custody last night in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and transferred to Mumbai on Friday morning, when he will appear in court. 

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch arrested Bhinde, the proprietor of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, following an extensive manhunt. A 120-by-120-foot billboard toppled onto a nearby gas pump on Monday night during blustery gusts and unusual rains, causing a tragic tragedy that left 16 people dead and 75 injured. Bhinde and his driver drove out of Mumbai after the event.

Three days after the hoarding collapse, on Thursday evening, Bhinde was eventually located in Udaipur, after eight teams from the Mumbai Police had been sent to different areas. 

The police claim that Bhinde went to Lonavala and then came back to Mumbai the following day. After that, he traveled to Thane, Ahmedabad, and eventually, after relocating multiple times, he assumed a new identity and hid in a hotel in Udaipur. He was located and apprehended by Mumbai Police forces under the direction of Joint CP Crime Lakhmi Gautam, DCP Vishal Thakur, and the Crime Branch. 

An official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) verified that the search and rescue effort at the collapse site was over at 10:00 am on Thursday. The Government Railway Police (GRP) owned the land where the unlawful billboard was erected.

The event has brought to light serious shortcomings in the regulatory supervision of Mumbai’s advertising installations, leading to demands for more stringent adherence to safety regulations.