A Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the Crime Branch has uncovered a startling revelation in the investigation of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse. Janhavi Marathe, a former director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd Company, allegedly lured the railway police into approving a tender for a massive hoarding by promising a 400% increase in revenue.
Marathe and Sagar Kumhar were arrested on Saturday from a hotel in Goa. This marks the fourth arrest in the Ghatkopar hoarding incident case; previously, Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of Ego Media, and structural consultant Manoj Sanghu were also arrested.
Janhavi Marathe is one of the main accused in the Ghatkopar hoarding incident case, as the Special Investigation Team revealed that she initiated the modification of the tender and increased the size of the hoarding.
According to police sources, Janhavi Marathe has been a director of Ego Media Private Limited since its inception. On May 7, 2021, she submitted a signed letter to the then Railway Commissioner, stating that the tender for hoardings at the GRP site near the Ghatkopar East petrol pump should be awarded to Ego Media Pvt Ltd Company.
As per the tender, her company was permitted 40 by 40 feet for three hoardings on the available land before the accident hoarding was erected.
In the letter provided by Marathe, it was stated that since there is ample space available at this location for commercial use, permission should be granted to install three 80 by 80 feet hoardings back-to-back instead of 40 by 40 feet hoardings, so that the railway department would receive 400% more revenue. Police investigation revealed that Janhavi Marathe first violated the approved advertising hoarding size by breaching the advertising terms and conditions, after which she obtained approval for three hoardings.
On May 13, a massive illegal hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump at the railway police station in Ghatkopar East, resulting in the death of 17 people and injuring 80. In this case, a case has been registered at Pantnagar police station against the director and owner of Ego Media Pvt. Ltd. The investigation of this crime has been handed over to the Crime Branch, a Special Investigation Team has been formed, and the investigation is ongoing.