Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Bhavesh Bhinde arrested from Udaipur by Mumbai Police, say officials

The hoarding in Ghatkopar had collapsed on a petrol pump on Monday. File Pic/Sameer Markande

Days after registering a case against the Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of the billboard that had collapsed on Monday and claimed 16 lives, the Mumbai Police arrested him from Udaipur, the officials said on Thursday.

The crime branch team of Mumbai police arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, the director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency responsible for erecting the hoarding in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai.

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Official sources said that Bhinde was allegedly hiding in a restaurant in Udaipur.

The Mumbai Crime Branch took him into custody and later secured his transit from a court in Udaipur and was on it's way to Mumbai.

An official said, "Crime Branch Team will arrive along with the accused Bhavesh Bhinde by Indigo flight no. 6E - 912 at 04:25 AM at Mumbai International Airport (Terminal 2), Gate no 3."

The Pantnagar Police had registered an FIR against Bhavesh Bhinde for negligence leading to the death of 16 people and injuring 79 people after a huge hoarding collapsed on May 13.

According to police officials, Bhavesh Bhinde was allegedly on the run after the hoarding collapsed. He had previously claimed that it was Asia's largest hoarding, measuring 120×120, which had received many awards.

However, after the hoarding collapsed, he escaped from Mumbai.

During the investigation, the Crime Branch found that Bhinde drove his car to Ahmedabad, parked it somewhere, then booked a cab to Udaipur, and switched off his mobile phone.

Bhinde was staying in a luxurious hotel in Udaipur. On Thursday, the Crime Branch traced him, sources said.

The police said that Bhinde was allegedly involved in multiple cases of cheating. A rape case was also registered against him. He maintained a good and long-standing association with some municipal officials.

Bhinde secured many contacts from the BMC and Indian Railways to install hoardings along the Eastern Express Highway and on Government Railway Police (GRP) premises.

Meanwhile, the rescuers called off the operations on Thursday. 16 people were killed, and 75 injured after the billboard collapsed in an unexpected dust storm in Mumbai on Monday.