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.

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann were welcomed with garlands at AAP MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra’s sangeet ceremony in Uaipur last night.

Other politicians and film personalities joined the pre-wedding festivities before the main ceremony at The Leela Palace today.

At the couple’s “90s theme” sangeet, Chief Minister Mann was seen shaking a leg to DJ Navraj Hans tunes. DJ Hans, son of veteran Bollywood singer Hans Raj Hans, shared a video of his live performance at the ceremony. Other videos featuring Mr Mann dancing are now viral on social media.

Exclusive : #BhagwantMann grooving on Punjabi tunes in #RaghavChadha – #ParineetiChopra Sangeet ceremony held last night in Udaipur#ParineetiRaghavWedding#RaghavParineetiKiShaadipic.twitter.com/TEMhBq4V1a

— Ritik Gupta (@RitikGupta1999) September 24, 2023

Mr Kejriwal and Mr Mann arrived in Udaipur yesterday morning. AAP MP Sanjay Singh was also among the guests who arrived in the city for the wedding.

“I congratulate Raghav and Parineeti on the new chapter of their lives. May God fulfil all their wishes. Today and tomorrow is the wedding ceremony and all the people will join it,” Mr Singh said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

The big fat wedding festivities began today at 10 am with the choora ceremony. This will be followed by a sehrabandi at 1 pm. Raghav Chadha’s baraat will travel on a boat from Udaipur’s iconic Lake Palace to the wedding venue. The jaimala is scheduled to take place at 3 pm which will be followed by the pheras and vidai. The entire wedding is expected to be wrapped up by 6:30 pm before a reception at 8:30 pm.