Gym instructor Prashant Sawant's death not first accident in building

This picture has been used for representational purposes.

The Dadar police on Wednesday arrested the director of Neha Developers on charges of culpable homicide after a 27-year-old gym trainer fell to his death in the lift shaft from the eighth floor of a building in Dadar West.

Prashant Sawant, 27, had fallen into the shaft on November 2, when he had gone to his girlfriend's home at Neha Galaxy on Sayani Road.

The Dadar police arrested on Wednesday developer Shihir Shivapurkar, 61. They produced him in Bhoiwada Court, which sent him to judicial custody. Another accused, the contractor of the building, is still at large. "The building has four lifts, of which two are working. While one is used by residents, the other is used to carry building material," said a police officer.

Man's leg was trapped in lift door

During investigation, the Dadar police found that another incident had taken place three months ago in which the victim, a resident of the apartments, survived with major injuries. On August 15, Dnyaneshwar Chavhan's left leg got trapped in the gap between the lift and the floor.

The 61-year-old had to undergo surgery as his toe and calf got badly damaged. Chavhan, a vegetable seller, lives on the 11th floor of the building.

"We had warned the developer and the contractor to fix the lift arrangement, but their negligence has now taken a life," said another officer.

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