Ghatkopar Hoarding Collapse: Structural Engineer Arrested for Issuing Stability Certificate

Mumbai Crime Branch has made a second arrest in connection with the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse, which resulted in the tragic death of 17 people. The arrested individual had provided a structural stability certificate to EGO Media Private LTD for the hoarding that collapsed.

The second accused, Manoj Ramkrishna Sanghu (47), who is on the BMC-approved engineers list, approved the structural stability certificate on April 24, 2023. He was apprehended from Mulund, where he resides.

Meanwhile, the first arrested accused, Bhavesh Bhinde, has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Bhinde was arrested on May 16 from a resort in Udaipur, Rajasthan, where he had fled after the incident.

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Additionally, a third accused, Janhavi Marathe, who has been a director at Ego Media Private Limited since its inception, has applied for anticipatory bail in the Sessions Court. The Crime Branch has opposed her bail application.

According to the Crime Branch, IPC Section 120 B has been added to the case. Officers stated that the hoarding's size mentioned in the structural audit did not comply with BMC norms, which appears to have been done intentionally. This discrepancy led to the arrest of the second accused.

On May 13, a hoarding collapse in Ghatkopar resulted in the tragic death of 17 people. The contract for installing this hoarding was awarded to Ego Media Private Limited. Initially permitted for an 80x80 feet hoarding, a 120x120 feet hoarding was installed instead.