Mumbai: Bhavesh Bhinde, the man behind Mumbai's 120 feet x 120 feet billboard that collapsed and killed 16 people, has been finally arrested from Rajasthan after three days. Bhinde, director of advertising firm M/s Ego Media Pvt. Ltd., which recently installed the billboard that crashed in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday evening, was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch and was brought to Mumbai in the early hours of Friday for further legal proceedings.

The giant hoarding which even made it to the Limca Book Of Records collapsed on a petrol pump in the Chheda Nagar area in Ghatkopar during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others. The illegal giant hoarding that collapsed in Ghatkopar stood on a piece of land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP).

Following the incident, Bhinde realised that the police were closing in on him and fled the city.  To avoid arrest, he frequently changed his location and even adopted false identities

At least eight teams of the Mumbai Police were sent to various locations to track Bhinde. Working round the clock, Mumbai Police authorities atracked him in Lonavala, Thane, and Ahmedabad before finally nabbing him in Udaipur, where he was found hiding in a hotel under a fake name. The operation was conducted so discreetly that even the local police were kept in the dark.

The special team revealed that Bhinde, upon learning of the impending police action, initially fled to Lonavala with his driver. He returned alone to Mumbai the following day, then traveled to Thane. Continuing his elusive journey, he went to Ahmedabad, where he stayed with a relative.

Earlier, Mumbai Police had registered a case under IPC sections 304, 338, 337, and 34 against owner Bhavesh Bhide and others at Pantnagar police station.

This horrific incident has underscored significant lapses in the regulatory oversight of advertising installations in Mumbai, prompting calls for stricter enforcement of safety standards.