The investigation into the Ghatkopar hoarding accident case will now be conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), as per the orders issued by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Crime Branch, Lakhmi Gautam.
A total of 6 officers have been appointed to this team. Inspector Mahesh Tawde, in charge of Unit 7, will lead the team under the supervision of DCP Detection Crime Branch Vishal Thakur.
The SIT team visited the home of the main accused, Bhavesh Bhinde, and seized important documents related to the hoarding contract. A police officer stated that they are investigating how the contract for the hoarding was obtained and the earnings from it.
A crime branch official revealed that the SIT team discovered Bhide has 7 accounts in different banks. The police are collecting details from all the banks to trace the sources and destinations of the money.
The police are investigating the financial aspect of Bhide's business, as it requires around Rs 5 crore to manage a hoarding. They are also looking into who authorized the hoarding and issued certificates.
The SIT has begun recording statements from former and current employees of Ego Media Private Limited, where Bhavesh Bhide is the director.
The SIT team visited VJTI (Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute) to assess whether the hoarding in Ghatkopar was installed properly.
Bhavesh Bhinde has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in connection with the hoarding collapse case that resulted in 16 fatalities. Bhinde's company, Ego Media Private Limited, erected the hoarding that collapsed onto a petrol pump during a dust storm on May 13.