Mumbai: Seeking bail, Arshad Khan, a businessman accused of receiving ₹46 lakh from Ego Media Private Limited, the company at the centre of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse tragedy that claimed 17 lives, claimed that the present case was surrounded by political pressure and a media trial attempting to blame him for the alleged offence. The plea submitted through advocate Sana Raees Khan further stated, “It is pertinent to note that the allegations against the applicant are that of colluding with the Commissioner of Police to obtain the necessary permissions to erect the hoarding. But the investigating agency has not made any of the commissioners an accused in the present crime. This itself shows that the investigation is baseless and biased,” the plea said.
The plea stated that the incident was purely due to an unexpected natural disaster and an ‘Act of God,’ which was beyond human control. The accused also sought parity with other accused who were granted bail. Opposing the bail plea, the police submitted that they challenged the bail granted to some of Arshad’s co-accused.
The tragic incident on May 13, 2023 where a giant 120 by 140 hoarding on the GRP ground owned by Ego Media collapsed due to strong winds, claimed the lives of at least 17 people and injured more than 70 others. Police have so far arrested four persons, namely Bhavesh Bhinde, Janhavi Marathe, Sagar Patil, and Manoj Sanghu.
It was alleged that Arshad took more than Rs one crore from Ego Media directors Bhinde and Marathe to get approval for the fateful hoarding. Arshad was absconding since his name cropped up in July last year, and his anticipatory bail was rejected. He was arrested in December.
The SIT probing the financial trail of Ego Media’s bank accounts discovered that Ego Media, which managed the alleged illegal hoarding, remitted Rs 46.5 lakh through 39 transactions in 10 different bank accounts between 2021 and 2022, and the money was later taken by Arshad. The police submitted that statements of certain people who were allegedly told to deposit the cheques, withdraw the money, and give it to Arshad have been recorded. The police also said that the investigations are still ongoing and it is being probed if there were links to BMC officials.
However, Arshad stated that he has no bank transactions with any of the accused or Ego Media company.
Mumbai: Seeking bail, Arshad Khan, a businessman accused of receiving ₹46 lakh from Ego Media Private Limited, the company at the centre of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse tragedy that claimed 17 lives, claimed that the present case was surrounded by political pressure and a media trial attempting to blame him for the alleged offence. The plea submitted through advocate Sana Raees Khan further stated, “It is pertinent to note that the allegations against the applicant are that of colluding with the Commissioner of Police to obtain the necessary permissions to erect the hoarding. But the investigating agency has not made any of the commissioners an accused in the present crime. This itself shows that the investigation is baseless and biased,” the plea said.
The plea stated that the incident was purely due to an unexpected natural disaster and an ‘Act of God,’ which was beyond human control. The accused also sought parity with other accused who were granted bail. Opposing the bail plea, the police submitted that they challenged the bail granted to some of Arshad’s co-accused.
The tragic incident on May 13, 2023 where a giant 120 by 140 hoarding on the GRP ground owned by Ego Media collapsed due to strong winds, claimed the lives of at least 17 people and injured more than 70 others. Police have so far arrested four persons, namely Bhavesh Bhinde, Janhavi Marathe, Sagar Patil, and Manoj Sanghu.
It was alleged that Arshad took more than Rs one crore from Ego Media directors Bhinde and Marathe to get approval for the fateful hoarding. Arshad was absconding since his name cropped up in July last year, and his anticipatory bail was rejected. He was arrested in December.
The SIT probing the financial trail of Ego Media’s bank accounts discovered that Ego Media, which managed the alleged illegal hoarding, remitted Rs 46.5 lakh through 39 transactions in 10 different bank accounts between 2021 and 2022, and the money was later taken by Arshad. The police submitted that statements of certain people who were allegedly told to deposit the cheques, withdraw the money, and give it to Arshad have been recorded. The police also said that the investigations are still ongoing and it is being probed if there were links to BMC officials.
However, Arshad stated that he has no bank transactions with any of the accused or Ego Media company.