The Mumbai Police SIT has launched a search for Arshad Khan, who was summoned to record his statement for the second time in connection with the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case but did not turn up. Khan's statement is important as he had allegedly taken over Rs 50 lakhs from Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the company that operated the 140X120 feet hoarding that collapsed on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar killing 17 people on May 13. The SIT has already filed a first chargesheet against four people, including the owner of Ego Media Bhavesh Bhinde. An officer said, " Khan did not turn up to record his statement. His mobile phone is switched off and we are not able to trace him. We have issued notices and our teams are on the lookout for him." The officer added teams have been dispatched to various places in the country to look for him. During the probe, the arrested accused from Ego Media told the police that they had paid nearly Rs 54 lakhs to Arshad Khan by giving him over 25 blank cheques. He would then deposit it into accounts of some unknown people and take cash from them. The transaction appeared strange to the police as there was no business links between Ego Media and Khan. Khan, however in his initial statement to the police, had said he had taken the money for carrying out various services like providing construction workers, plumbers and masons to Ego Media. He claimed that the money was deposited in the accounts of these workers, The police wanted to question him again in connection with the monetary transactions as they were not completely convinced by his answers. The police also found that Khan was a director in a company where suspended IPS officer Quaiser Khalid's wife was a co-director. Khalid was the Government Railway Police (GRP) Commissioner when permissions had been sought for the fourth hoarding which collapsed.
