100 Notices Against Bhavesh Bhinde, Mumbai Billboard Collapse Accused

Bhavesh Bhinde also faces 23 prior charges ranging from cheque fraud and illegally cutting trees to rape; the latter case was filed in January.

Over 100 notices and penalties have been issued against Mumbai businessman Bhavesh Bhinde, whose company installed - illegally, city officials have claimed - a 14,400 sq ft hoarding in Ghatkopar that collapsed last week amid strong winds and rain, crushing 16 people and injuring 75 others.

Police sources told NDTV the notices and penalties are related to violation of rules for erection of billboards, suggesting Bhinde and his company may be the main culprit in an entirely preventable disaster that has, fortunately (if belatedly) prompted action against other outsized and illegal hoardings in the Maharashtra capital and other cities; Chennai has announced a crackdown too.

Bhinde went on the run after the billboard collapsed but was eventually arrested - three days later - from Rajasthan's Udaipur. Police said the businessman skipped from Mumbai to Thane and Ahmedabad, changing his name and staying on the run for 72 hours in an attempt to evade capture.