New Delhi:

At the heart of the tragic billboard collapse in Mumbai, which claimed 16 lives, was an advertising agency, Ego Media Pvt Ltd, that had installed the fateful structure. The owner of the company, Bhavesh Bhinde, managed to evade police for 3 days, but was finally arrested from Udaipur.

He was arrested after an extensive manhunt spanning three states.

The collapse of the 120 feet by 120 feet billboard claimed the lives of 16 and left 75 others injured. The catastrophic incident, which occurred amidst strong winds and unseasonal rains, prompted swift action from law enforcement agencies.

Video | 16 Seconds Of Horror, When Mumbai Billboard Crushed Petrol Pump

https://t.co/FM129UZb0epic.twitter.com/NYWMcu981X

— NDTV (@ndtv) May 16, 2024

Following his realization that the police were closing in on him, Bhavesh Bhinde fled, setting off a pursuit that led through various cities. To evade capture, he kept changing his location and assumed a false identity.

His flight led authorities to Lonavala, Thane, and Ahmedabad before finally ending in Udaipur, where he was found hiding in a hotel under an assumed name. He would be in a new city every time the cops closed in on him, and Mumbai Police had to deploy eight teams, which worked round the clock, to track Bhinde.

The team revealed that Bhavesh Bhinde, upon learning of the impending police action, initially fled to Lonavala before returning to Mumbai the next day. Subsequently, he traveled to Thane, but continued his elusive journey to Ahmedabad, ultimately seeking refuge in a hotel in Udaipur, where he was finally nabbed by the Crime Branch.

He was finally caught after the investigation team utilised a combination of technical expertise and human intelligence.

The Udaipur operation was so discreet that even the local police were not informed that a team was in town to catch Bhinde.

“The operation was a top secret, and even the Udaipur police did not know about it,” said an official on the investigating team.

The hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump in the Chhedanagar area in Ghatkopar during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others.

This incident has highlighted severe lapses in the regulatory oversight of advertising installations in Mumbai, sparking calls for stricter enforcement of safety standards.

Mumbai:

A near-stampede situation erupted at the Thane Railway Station after local train services were delayed due to a storm on Monday, showed a viral video. Hundreds of women were seen jostling to enter a train compartment that hardly had any space, prompting charges of railway mismanagement on social media platforms.

Shocking!! Tears & Struggle#Watch this video of Thane station this evening.
Despite the @RailMinIndia & Hon Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw concern about the passengers, @drmmumbaicr is lethargic about the travel woes of Mumbaikars.
Pull him up for playing with lives. pic.twitter.com/4MVbbE95X6

— Mumbai Railway Users (@mumbairailusers) May 13, 2024

A fierce storm crippled all forms of traffic and railway movement in Mumbai and its suburbs yesterday. A massive billboard collapsed and killed 14 people at a petrol pump during the storm.

The local train services were suspended around 4:15 pm for over two hours after an overhead pole got bent due to strong winds between Thane and Mulund stations, said a Central Railway official.

Slow and delayed train services resumed on the main corridor around 6:45 pm.

In a precautionary move, the suburban services were suspended for 10-15 minutes at various locations on both the main and harbour lines, leading to further disruption of services during peak evening rush hours.

They delays and disruptions led to overcrowding at several stations. In some instances, passengers were even forced to walk on the tracks after their trains came to a standstill. Some commuters claimed the trains took longer than usual to reach their destinations.

The suburban services were running at least 15-20 minutes late after the storm, Western Railway chief spokesperson Sumit Thakur told PTI. There was a signal failure near Charni Road Station as well.

On the Metro Line 7, which connects Aarey Colony with Andheri East Station in Mumbai, services were suspended after a banner landed on the overhead wire during the storm, said a spokesperson.

The storm and unseasonal rain uprooted trees and led to heavy traffic jams across the city.

Mumbai:

Fourteen people died and over 70 were injured when a massive billboard collapsed during a fierce storm that battered Mumbai Monday evening.

The 100-foot billboard, situated opposite a fuel station in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, succumbed to the ferocity of the storm, crashing down with alarming force, directly onto the fuel station below. CCTV footage from the area captured the metal structure tearing through the roofs of several cars before thudding on the ground.

Search and rescue mission is currently in progress. The NDRF has dispatched two teams to assist in collaboration with the Mumbai Fire Brigade and other involved agencies.

Video | Huge Scaffolding Ripped Apart By Dust Storm In Mumbai

The hoarding was erected by Ego Media on a plot which has been leased to the Police Welfare Corporation by the Maharashtra government’s Police Housing Division. There are four hoardings from Ego Media on the premises, one of which collapsed Monday evening. Mumbai Police registered a case against the owner of Ego Media, along with others implicated in the incident.

Although Ego Media was granted permission for all four hoardings, including the one that fell, by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Railways), no authorisation or No Objection Certificate (NOC) was obtained from the BMC before installation. Consequently, the BMC has issued a notice to the Railway Police’s ACP and the Railway Commissioner, demanding the cancellation of all permissions granted by the Railways and the removal of the hoardings.

In Pics | Mumbai Sky Turns Murky After Massive Dust Storm, Rainfall

Mumbai last evening found itself besieged by a sudden and powerful dust storm which enveloped the metropolis in darkness, with residents taking to social media to share accounts of the unfolding chaos.

Transport networks bore the brunt of the storm’s fury, with local trains and airport services grinding to a halt in the face of the storm. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) was compelled to suspend flight operations temporarily, citing low visibility and gusty winds as the reasons.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued urgent warnings, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy rain for Mumbai and surrounding areas. 

While the unseasonal rain offered some respite from the sweltering heat, power outages in various districts, including Thane’s Kalwa, added further hardships for residents already grappling with the aftermath of the storm. Uprooted trees and structural damage were also reported from satellite towns such as Thane, Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan, and Ulhasnagar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site of the collapse and assured that his government would conduct a structural audit of all hoardings in the city.  

“The hoardings, if found illegal and dangerous, would be removed immediately,” he said. “It is a very unfortunate incident. The government will probe it, and the people responsible will face action. I have also asked the BMC commissioner to conduct a structural audit of all the hoardings in the city. Those found illegal and dangerous will be removed.”

The Chief Minister also announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each person killed in the hoarding collapse.