Mumbai: The Andheri Court granted a two-day extension to the police custody of Pravin Khairnar (35), the contractor arrested for culpable homicide not amounting to murder following the Mahanagar Gas pipeline fire incident last week. The extension came after police revealed that Khairnar had concealed information about the sewage line digging work, which was actually commissioned by an Andheri (West) housing society, contrary to his claims of BMC assignment.
The investigation revealed that whilst Khairnar initially stated BMC officials approached him for his crane services, he had actually submitted an application to the BMC for the work. A MIDC police station officer stated, “We have sought details from the BMC about the names of the two persons who are suspects in the case and according to Khairnar they asked him to carry out the work. However, Khairnar has failed to provide work order details that he has got from the BMC.”
The incident resulted in serious casualties, with 22-year-old food delivery worker Aman Saroj losing his life, and Arvindkumar Jaiswal (21) remaining in critical condition. The MIDC police secured the custody extension to investigate two individuals who allegedly assigned the work to Khairnar without proper documentation, aiming to establish responsibility for the incident.