Mumbai Billboard Row: 100 Notices, Penalties Issued Against Owner Bhavesh Bhinde | Details

Following the recent collapse of a massive billboard in Mumbai's Ghatkopar which caused death of 17 people, Bhavesh Bhinde, the prime accused and the owner of the illegal billboard, has a number of notices and penalties issued against him, as per media reports.

According to the reports, over 100 notices and penalties have been issued against the Mumbai businessman.

Mumbai billboard collapse

Ego Media, a company owned by Bhavesh Bhinde, illegally installed a 14,400 sq ft hoarding in Ghatkopar that collapsed due to an unexpected bout of heavy rain and strong winds. The disaster killed 17 people while causing injuries to as many as 74 people.

The director of the advertising firm, who remained on the run for the next few days, was finally arrested from Udaipur in Rajasthan. He is currently in police remand till May 26. Following the billboard collapse incident, Bhinde travelled from Mumbai to Thane, Ahmedabad and finally to Udaipur to escape arrest.

About the charges against Bhavesh Bhinde

According to a report by NDTV, the notices and penalties issued against Bhinde relate to violating the rules for erection of billboards.

The official statement read, "Mumbai Crime Branch forms an SIT to probe into the incident. The SIT will now investigate the matter. The SIT comprises 6 officers. The SIT has checked the residence of prime accused Bhavesh Bhinde and seized important documents from there. He has a total of 7 bank accounts in different banks," reported ANI

Furthermore, the Bhinde faces 23 prior charges that include rape accusation, cheque fraud and illegal felling of trees. On May 22, the Mumbai Crime Branch formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the hoarding collapse incident.