Firm that designed Ghatkopar hoarding also gave structural stability certificate

During their investigation, the Crime Branch found that the same firm had been previously hired by Bhinde to design the hoarding.

Bhinde, who was first arrested in the case and is now in judicial custody, along with another director, Janhvi Marathe, had allegedly given the task of designing the hoarding structure to Sangu. The design of the hoarding was also seized from Bhinde’s house.

According to the SIT, the government railway police commissionerate on October 1, 2020, first floated tender specifying terms and conditions which clearly mandated that the size of the hoarding should be 40×40 and the height should be 90 feet. “But Sangu breached the sanctioned permission and erected an inferior quality hoarding, thus violating terms and conditions and it resulted in the collapse of the hoarding that killed 17 people and injured over 80,” said a crime branch source.

Sangu was produced before the court on Friday. SIT officers sought his custody, claiming they wanted to know on whose instructions Sangu gave the structural stability certificate.

Sangu, along with the directors of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, might have issued structural stability certificate for over 25 hoardings in Mumbai and the details need to be obtained and probed, the SIT submitted before the court. Considering the grounds presented before it, the court remanded Sangu, in police custody till June 5.

According to the SIT, during interrogation, Sangu admitted that he designed the 33,800 sq ft BPCL petrol pump hoarding. He, however, did not keep an eye on or inspect the construction work of the hoarding when it was being built according to his design, and he also did not see if the structure was being constructed as per standards. He did not duly follow procedure and allegedly gave a structural stability certificate declaring the hoarding as strong in the certificate issued on April 24, 2023, a crime branch source said.

Sangu did the work allegedly on the directions of Bhinde and Marathe; hence, prima facie, the trio allegedly committed the crime in connivance with each other. This prompted the SIT to invoke Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Probe also revealed that the directors of Ego Media Pvt Ltd had put the said hoarding into operation on February 20, 2023, almost two months before Sangu gave the structural stability certificate on April 24, 2023.

It was required for Sangu to get the “proof-checking” of the structural design from IIT or VJTI, but probe has revealed that he did not do any proof-checking.

The SIT has also found regular payments of a fixed amount in the bank account of Sangu between June 1, 2022 and April 10, 2024. The same is needed to be probed, another source said.

The Crime Branch is also trying to find out from which contractor or supervisor Sangu got the construction and fabrication work for the hoarding done. After ascertaining their role and culpability it would be further decided whether they would be made accused in the case or witnesses, an officer said.