Nair trio accused in doc’s suicide, unit head suspended

 

 

Gynaecologists On The Run Seek Fair Probe In Letter To Med Body

Sumitra.DebRoy@timesgroup.com

 
Mumbai: The BMC on Monday suspended the doctor trio accused of abetting the suicide of Nair Hospital’s Dr Payal Tadvi, and their unit head Dr Yi Ching Ling for her failure to act on complaints lodged by the victim. Also, the state women’s commission served a notice to the hospital, while the Agripada police said they have dispersed teams to nab the accused from their native places.

The BMC’s suspension of Dr Hema Ahuja, Dr Bhakti Mehar and Dr Ankita Khandilwal—accused by Dr Tadvi’s family of harassing and pushing her to end her life—came after they were removed from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD). “They will remain under suspension till further notice. Action will also be taken against the department head,” said Nair dean Dr Ramesh Bharmal. “The action was ordered by the deputy municipal commissioner.”

The absconding accused have written to MARD demanding a fair probe into the incident, one that is not “influenced by the police or media”. In the letter, they said “heavy workload” was being given the term of ragging. “...Then we all have been ragged or ragging someone while performing our basic duties. Then all of us should be blamed as the workload is transferred from our seniors,” read the letter, signed by all three. It is the first communication from the trio, missing since May 22, when Dr Tadvi was found hanging from the ceiling of her hostel room.

Demanding justice from the institute, the three doctors wrote, “Do we treat patients based on caste? Are we allotted work on the basis of our caste?” Saying they were under immense pressure, the three urged MARD to support them. But MARD representatives as well as college authorities insisted they come out and face the investigation. “Till they give a statement (to the police), no one can give them a fair inquiry,” said MARD’s president. Dr Bharmal said the three doctors and their parents have been called, even emailed, to no avail.

The 21-member anti-ragging committee that met on Saturday is likely to submit its findings to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) on Tuesday. Around 30 people were interviewed on Saturday, including Dr Tadvi’s professors, roommates, nurses, lab technicians and friends. “The panel will recommend on Tuesday whether or not the registrations of the accused should be cancelled”.

Several political parties protested outside the Mumbai Central hospital. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Students Federation of India, and All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) have demanded strict action against the hospital authorities. At BMC, opposition party leader Ravi Raja demanded an inquiry. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women has asked the hospital to submit an actiontaken report in eight days.

Agripada police teams have left the city to nab the accused doctors. Other teams are engaged in recording statements of witnesses; WhatsApp chats have been sent for forensic analysis. Police are recording statements of all members of the doctors’ WhatsApp group and want to collect group chat backups.

Meanwhile, three of Tadvi’s roommates have been allotted new rooms. “Most of us work under extreme stress, but caste, I think, has not been an issue. Seniors burdening juniors is a known practice in medical colleges. Police should find out what pushed her over the brink,” said one of Tadvi’s hostel mates.(Inputs by Mateen Hafeez)

The Times of India, May 28, 2019

7cr cheating FIR against builder couple

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

 
Mumbai: A cheating complaint was filed against a realty firm and its husband-wife directors for duping 13 flat and shop buyers of a Bhandup project of Rs 7.2 crore. Shreenath Build Grand Pvt Ltd. and Neeraj and Sapna Ved allegedly sold flats to buyers who did not get possession of the same.

“Most complainants are senior citizens of which 12 had booked flats while one had booked a commercial gala in a project. From 2011to 2014, the buyers had paid the money and were issued allotment letters. The complainant, Mahendra Dharod, later found that the flat allotted to him was registered under someone else’s name and informed the others,” said a police officer of the Bhandup police station. The 13-storey building has mostly 2BHK flats which were sold for Rs 60 lakh each in 2011.

An FIR was registered.No arrest has been made yet.

The Times of India, May 28, 2019

Cops to take SoBo man to Kerala in Brazilian rape case

Bhavani Srinivasan & Mateen Hafeez TNN

 

Mumbai: The police, probing the sexual assault of a 19-yearold Brazilian girl by a Cuffe Parade resident, Padmakar Nandekar (52), will take the accused to Kerala to corroborate the victim’s claim that the accused had booked a single room for both and had forced her to spend a night with him. He was produced before a court on Sunday and remanded in police custody till May 29.

The girl, who is on a yearlong youth exchange programme in  India, had lodged a rape complaint on May 20 against Padmakar Nandekar, district secretary, Rotary Club of Bombay Queen City, alleging that he raped her after spiking her drinks. Nandekar had initially hosted the girl at his home, where she stayed with his family for six months. It’s learnt that one of her friends had gone to the Cuffe Parade police station four to five days prior to the official FIR was lodged. However, the police sub-inspector at the station house took the complaint letter from the victim’s friend and stated that cops will inform whenever they register the case. There were reports that the FIR was registered only after the Brazilian consulate intervened. Senior police officers were tightlipped about the issue.

Ashok Saraogi, Nandekar’s defence lawyer, said, “We have CCTV footage of my client’s residence, which will prove what exactly happened that night.” He said, “My client had given his credit card to the girl to use for emergencies. On the day after the incident, she spent Rs 1 lakh using his card. I will prove that my client is innocent. He has a high rank at the Rotary Club and is also general secretary of Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association. It is due to dirty internal politics in these organizations that my client has been implicated.” He said students on exchange programmes get around Rs 6,000 per month for expenses, but Nandekar gave Rs 10,000 to help the girl.

The residents’ association has removed Nandekar from his post after the case came to light.

In her complaint, the girl told police that on April 15, Nandekar invited her for dinner. He took her to a five star hotel where he spiked her drinks after dinner and they returend to his Cuffe Parade residence where Nandekar allegedly raped her. Following her complaint, the police arrested Nandekar.

A Rotary spokesperson said a similar incident had occurred in Japan a few years ago. “Nandedkar was on the way to Korea for a Rotary convention and on the way, he spent a few days in Japan. There, he allegedly invited a Japanese woman to a hotel, where he spiked her drink. When he returned to Japan after the convention, the woman filed a complaint and he was jailed," said the spokesperson. “It was due to Nandedkar’s contacts at the Japanese consulate that he was released from jail.”

The Times of India, May 28,2019

Medical report confirms rape of Brazilian girl

TNN | May 25, 2019, 09.59 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Police, probing the sexual assault by a 52-year-old Cuffe Parade resident on a 19-year-old Brazilian, said on Friday that the medical report had confirmed rape.

The girl, on a year-long youth exchange programme, had lodged a complaint on May 20 against Padmakar Nandekar, district secretary of Rotary Club of Bombay Queen City, alleging that he had raped her after spiking her drinks.

The girl told police that in January, while being hosted at his house for six months, he had taken her to Kerala for blessings of some sadhus. She told police Nandekar had booked only one hotel room. A police team is likely to leave for Kerala, police said. “He had told the girl not to speak to his wife about their trip,” added a senior police officer.

A court extended the police custody of Nandekar, who used to be general secretary of Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association, till May 26.


The Times of India, May 25, 2019

South Bombay residents’ body president conned, raped me: Brazilian teenager

Mateen Hafeez / TNN

 

May 23, 2019, 06.09 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Cuffe Parade police probing a rape complaint filed by a 19-year-old Brazilian against Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association president Padmakar Nandekar have learnt Nandekar had invited her for dinner to his home and promised to drop her back to Bandra where she currently lives. But he took her to a five-star hotel, instead.

Nandekar, 52, was arrested on Monday on charges of rape. He has been sent to policy custody till May 24.

The survivor is a participant in a year-long youth exchange programme organized by a popular club. She arrived in India in August 2018. “The girl stayed with Nandekar’s family for six months and later moved in with another family in Bandra,” said an officer.

According to the police, on April 15, Nandekar’s wife was out of town when he took the girl for dinner to a five-star hotel near Gateway of India where he allegedly spiked her drink and raped her. The girl has told police she felt dizzy and when she woke up the next morning she found Nandekar in the room. The survivor has told the police she left the hotel and spoke to her mother in Brazil who told her to file a complaint. The girl, along with the Bandra family, then approached Cuffe Parade police. The police took the girl for medical examination and a final report is awaited.

Nandekar’s daughter is on a similar exchange programme in Spain.

A spokesperson said the exchange programme rules are strict and this is the first time such an incident has occurred. “As per guidelines, the exchange student has to return to the host family’s residence by 10 pm. However, since Nandekar had previously hosted the girl, he knew her new host family which is why she was allowed to stay out with him overnight,” he said.

“Nandekar is influential and so the girl’s host family first approached the club, which filed the FIR against him,” the spokesperson stated. The international organisation is likely to suspend his membership.

The Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association has not taken any decision yet on ousting Nandekar.

(With inputs from Bhavani Srinivasan)

The Times of India, May 23, 2019

2 ‘IS sympathisers’ acquitted of terror charges in state case

Another Youth Convicted Under IPC

 

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: In one of the fastest trials in a state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) case, a special Akola court on Tuesday acquitted two persons, suspected to be Islamic State (IS) sympathisers, of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) charges. But the court convicted another accused, Abdul Malik (23), in the case to three years’ imprisonment for stabbing a police constable in 2015 to protest against the beef ban in the state. Malik was convicted under Indian Penal Code, and ATS could not prove the UAPA charges against him too.

Malik, a pharmacist, had attacked a constable in Pusad, Yavatmal, on Eid ul Zuha (Bakra Eid) in September 2015. He was held and his interrogation led police to another accused, Shoaib Khan, who Malik said instigated him. Though both are from Pusad, Malik and Khan met in a radical chatroom online and found they were from the same place, police said. Khan, son of a retired state irrigation officer, and Mujeeb Rehman, imam of Pusad’s Jama Masjid, were later arrested. ATS claimed the three youth were part of a module preparing to join IS. Police had earlier said that Rehman had brainwashed all youngsters in the group and exhorted them to join IS. During interactions, however, the youths learnt that Rehman had demanded dowry from his wife and this ‘un-Islamic act’ led to divisions, said a police officer.

Police had earlier said that during interrogation Khan told them that in case of failure to join IS, the group had kept the option of joining the Taliban in Afghanistan open. Police had said the arrested persons’ mobile phones contained instigative speeches by banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. Malik’s statement was recorded before a magistrate after his arrest.

Advocates Ali Raza Khan and Najeeb Shaikh appeared before court for the accused. Ali, who represented Khan and Rehman, said there were 100 witnesses in the case. “ATS could not prove the UAPA charges. Police had accused them of terror activities and said they were planning to go abroad and meet terrorists. ATS showed Rehman as the mastermind but could not prove the allegations. We had demanded compensation for the accused. Now that they have been acquitted, we will approach court for compensation. The youth have lost three-and-ahalf years of their lives behind bars,” said Ali.

Special UAPA judge A S Jadhave sentenced Malik to three years’ imprisonment, but he was released as he has spent three-and-a-half years behind bars.

The Times of India, May 23, 2019

Brazilian teenager: SoBo residents’ body president conned, raped me

Bhavani Srinivasan & Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Cuffe Parade police probing a rape complaint filed by a 19-year-old Brazilian against Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association president Padmakar Nandekar have learnt Nandekar had invited her for dinner to his home and promised to drop her back to Bandra where she currently lives. But he took her to a five-star hotel, instead.

Nandekar, 52, was arrested on Monday on charges of rape. He has been sent to policy custody till May 24.

The survivor is a participant in a year-long youth exchange programme organized by a popular club. She arrived in India in August 2018. “The girl stayed with Nandekar’s family for six months and later moved in with another family in Bandra,” said an officer.

According to the police, on April 15, Nandekar’s wife was out of town when he took the girl for dinner to a five-star hotel near Gateway of India where he allegedly spiked her drink and raped her. The girl has told police she felt dizzy and when she woke up the next morning she found Nandekar in the room. The survivor has told the police she left the hotel and spoke to her mother in Brazil who told her to file a complaint. The girl, along with the Bandra family, then approached Cuffe Parade police. The police took the girl for medical examination and a final report is awaited.

Nandekar’s daughter is on a similar exchange programme in Spain.

A spokesperson said the exchange programme rules are strict and this is the first time such an incident has occurred. “As per guidelines, the exchange student has to return to the host family’s residence by 10 pm. However, since Nandekar had previously hosted the girl, he knew her new host family which is why she was allowed to stay out with him overnight,” he said.

“Nandekar is influential and so the girl’s host family first approached the club, which filed the FIR against him,” the spokesperson stated. The international organisation is likely to suspend his membership.

The Cuffe Parade Residents’ Association has not taken any decision yet on ousting Nandekar.

The Times of India, May 23, 2019

Mumbai cops make bus head for police station with suspect

Mateen Hafeez  / TNN

May 21, 2019, 08.27 AM IST

 

 

MUMBAI: Retired banker Raju Doshi (67) wanted to invest in gold. Taking his savings of Rs 15 lakh, the Ghatkopar resident went to Zaveri Bazaar with a friend. Reaching there, the duo met Nitan Pednekar (29), who worked in a jewellery unit, and sought his help to buy a gold chain. Nitan took the money and never returned.

The police started probing from Nitan's Kalwa home. "We told his father his son had committed a crime. He gave us his son's number, and we asked Nitan's brother to talk to him," said an officer. Nitan told his brother he was on a bus for Goa. At the police's cue, the brother told him to give the phone to the driver. An officer took over and told the driver about Nitan. "Learning that the bus was at Khed, I told the driver to take it to Khed police station," the officer said. "Then I communicated with my Khed counterparts about the case. When the bus reached there, Nitan was nabbed."

He was later brought to L T Marg police station. The amount was recovered, the major part from Nitan's girlfriend.


The Times of India, May 21, 2019

Man who left home to meet pal 3 weeks ago yet to return

Waqar Mapari

Mateen.Hafeez@timesgroup.com
 

Mumbai: Three weeks after a 21-year-old youth from Navi Mumbai went missing “mysteriously”, his family is clueless of his whereabouts. What has brought a twist to the disappearance of Waqar Mapari, an MBA student, is that his scooter was found near the old Vashi bridge on Friday.

Waqar’s friends and family members have scanned footage of at least 250 CCTV cameras, checked with associates and have even explored the ‘girlfriend’ angle, but they have not found any concrete leads.

Waqar went missing on April 29. He was at home watching a cricket match with his father when he got a call from a friend Sufyan Baig, who had borrowed Waqar’s scooter and had come to return it, said his father Yusuf alias Amir.

“My son went to drop his friend who stays nearby. The CCTV footage shows Waqar returned to our building but left in a hurry after checking his phone. He got on his scooter again and left,” he said. Last Friday, a relativespotted Waqar’s scooter parked near the Vashi bridge.

“But we have no clue as to where my son is,” said Yusuf who lodged a complaint at Nerul police station a day after he went missing. Circumstances in which Waqar left home indicate he was not going too far, said his father. “He was not carrying any money.” Police sub-inspctor P G Ghagare said they are now examining call data records.

The Times of India, May 20, 2019

Three firm directors booked for cheating investors of Rs 7 crore

Mateen Hafeez / TNN

 May 18, 2019, 10.59 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Police have registered a cheating and breach of trust case against three directors of a private firm for cheating depositors to the tune of over Rs7 crore.

The unit formed under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act, that works under the city’s economic offences wing (EOW), filed the case. The unit deals with investment fraud cases wherein investors are duped in various business schemes. “Ghatkopar resident, Chandrakant Kavade, 56, lodged a cheating complaint against three directors of Wealthshore Management Pvt Ltd at Pant Nagar police station,” said an officer. The directors named in the FIR are Pramod Chincholkar, Kuriyan Johnson and Vikas Mahamuni.

“The case has been transferred to the EOW and, as per the case papers, 417 investors have been cheated of over Rs 7 crore. The firm claimed to have invested in many businesses. It asked depositors to invest for 36 months and promised 15% annual returns. However, they stopped paying the returns to investors and most of them couldn’t even get their principal amount back,” said a source. Assistant police inspector Sunil Pawar is probing this case.

In a separate case, the EOW arrested Sakharam Hake alias Yesh, 37, an engineering dropout, for his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme.

He along with another accused, Vijay Ahire, 41, director in Y P Capital India Ltd, an Andheri-based firm, lured depositors with promises of handsome returns.

“Rupali Kamble, 41, a housewife from Worli, lodged the complaint based on which we arrested Ahire. Yesh was nabbed later,” said an officer. Assistant police inspector Vinod Kelkar is probing the case.



The Times of India, May 18, 2019

Water filters used to hide Rs 15 crore drug

Mateen Hafeez / TNN

 May 16, 2019, 04.16 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officials on Monday intercepted a taxi, part of a cab aggregator, and found 15kg amphetamine hidden in two water filters. It was being taken to the Vashi post office to be sent to South Africa. The narcotics are worth Rs 15 crore, said DRI officials.

The DRI arrested Shiva Sharma (38), a Thane resident and Ugochi Chikelu (35), a Nigerian national, from his rented flat in Khargar, Navi Mumbai. Sharma, who owns the cab was with a driver in the car. Sharma said that it was Chikelu’s consignment. Sharma told the DRI that on May 4 and May 6 too he had sent consignments on Chikelu’s instructions.


The Times of India, May 16, 2019

Malegaon blast victim's dad wants ATS at trial

TNN | May 14, 2019, 10.13 AM IST

 

 

 

MUMBAI: The father of a victim in Malegaon 2008 blast case has moved special NIA court seeking presence of ATS, the first investigating agency, during the trial. In his plea, Nisar Bilal (59), whose son Sayyed Ahmed was killed along with five others on September 29, 2008, said with 111 witnesses having deposed, for a fair and just trial, it was pertinent that ATS be present to assist NIA's special public prosecutor and the court.

"It is unfortunate that the investigating agency that recorded material statements and drew panchanamas against the accused is not interested in trial proceedings without cogent reasons," the plea said.

Special judge V S Padalkar directed NIA to file its reply on May 20.

The trial is under way against Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and five others. On October 30, charges were framed under UAPA, IPC and Explosive Substances Act. Maximum punishment under the charges is death penalty. Out on bail, Thakur is contesting Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal.

Bilal said NIA and ATS must work in sync for fair prosecution. "Instances such as tracing documents and witnesses have been a herculean task, and without assistance of ATS officers, it becomes more difficult to deal with them, often leading to delay or adjournments," the plea said. It said that since the court was considering ATS and NIA charge-sheets, officers from both should attend the trial. It said their presence was required "to assist the court, to save time and government expenditure". 

--Rebecca Samervel

 

The Times of India, May 14, 2019 

'Inspector' held for trying to fix trader

Mateen Hafeez / TNN

 

May 12, 2019, 06.28 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: A BKC diamond market trader panicked after he received a call from a person claiming to be an Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) inspector on Thursday evening. The imposter, who has been arrested, told the trader, whose turnover is said to be over Rs 200 crore, that his name cropped up while he was probing a drug case and told him to meet him in Pune.

"He received a call from a mobile number and the caller identified himself as 'inspector Pawar' of ANC. He told the trader that he had caught a person, Faizee, who had named him. He told the trader to meet him at ANC's Kandivli office.

The Times of India, May 12, 2019

64-year-old dentist injured in Mumbai's Bhau Daji Lad lift crash dies

 Mateen Hafeez & Sumitra Deb Roy

TNN | May 10, 2019, 05.37 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Dr Arnavaz Havewalla, a 64-year-old dentist who met with an accident in a lift at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum on April 28 and suffered multiple fractures, died in Masina Hospital on Thursday. Her daughter, who was also in the lift and sustained injuries, was discharged from hospital.

Havewalla was a dentist with the Masina Hospital.

"The lady was with a relative in the lift when it crashed," Abhinash Kumar, zonal DPC, said. "There was blood clotting in her lungs. She had suffered fractures. "

The police had registered a case under Section 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. Now they said they would add Section 304 (negligence causing death). They said no arrest had been made yet.

Tasneem Mehta, director at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, said that on the day of the accident Havewalla and her daughter were using the lift to go from the the first floor to the ground floor.

"The door was not completely closed and the lift went down a few inches. They tried to open the door and pressed keys. During this the emergency brake failed. Our staff also tried to bring the lift back up and pressed the external button. But it did not respond. The lift went 10 ft down and she lost her balance and fell. She sustained fractures. Once she was rescued, our staff took her in an ambulance to the Masina Hospital where she was under special care of doctors for 10 days," she said.

Mehta said Havewalla died of cardiac arrest. She said the death raised questions about the medical care at the hospital. She said the lift was checked by the vendor responsible for maintaining it and it had been functional for 11 years. "It happend due to a mechanical error," she said.

The museum, outside Byculla zoo, is owned by the BMC. There is a tripartite agreement for restoration and care with the Indian National Trust and Jamnala Bajaj Foundation.

The Masina Hospital, in a statement issued late on Thursday, said that Dr Havewalla was brought to the hospital after she had suffered a severe pelvic fracture and injury on heels following a fall from a height.

"She was admitted into the ICU and later shifted to the ward as her condition had stabilised. She was being monitored by an orthopaedic and general physician," the statement said. The hospital said that despite the best possible treatment, she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

"She was being treated without surgery. Her condition had improved but it deteriorated later," medical director Vispi Jokhi said. Havewalla was sent back to the ICU before she died in the morning. A source said cause of death was "acute pulmonary thromboembolism following fracture of pelvis and both heels".


The Times of India, May 10, 2019

Chargesheet in Himalaya FOB crash blames negligent auditor

Mateen Hafeez / TNN 

 

May 10, 2019, 05.32 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: The Azad Maidan police, probing the Himalaya foot overbridge collapse that killed seven, filed a 709-page chargesheet against Neeraj Desai, director of the firm that audited the FOB for structural safety, on Thursday.

The chargesheet says Desai, who is in custody, did not carry out the structural audit professionally, and the deck that crashed was not covered during the audit. The concrete pavement of the FOB that runs across D N Road from CSMT collapsed at 7.33pm on March 14, killing six persons. One injured person died later.

Desai, director of D D Desai's Associated Engineering Consultants and Analysts, was negligent during the audit and he knew that the bridge may crash but he didn't inform the BMC, the chargesheet concluded, adding that Desai's firm did not follow the Indian Road Congress manual (for inspection of bridges) during the audit. In its report, Desai's firm mentioned that the condition of the bridge was "good", but the FOB collapsed.

The police said Desai did not ask Geo Dynamics, which was subcontracted the Non Destructive Test (NDT), to carry out tests on the entire bridge. The police have also got permission from BMC to prosecute two of its employees in the case.

On July 4 and 6, 2017, two engineers from the firm (Geo Dynamics) carried out the ultrasonic test, rebound hammer test and carbonisation test at 16 points on the bridge to ascertain its strength. But they were not asked to test the deck, the portion that collapsed.

"Ravi Kiran Vaidya, owner of Geo Dynamics, in his statement before a magistrate has stated his firm was not asked to carry out tests on the deck," said an officer. Besides Vaidya, statements of two eyewitnesses-the owner of a snacks stall and a taxi driver whose cab was severely damaged-have been recorded before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC, meaning the statements will be treated as evidence during the trial.

While the concrete slab and iron beam have been sent to VJTI for tests, its reports are awaited. "The chargesheet does not contain any forensic report since we have not got it yet. Forensic experts had visited the spot, collected cement, iron and debris samples for analysis. When we get the report, we will attach it with the supplementary chargesheet," added an officer.

The police submitted the chargesheet in the case within 52 days of auditor Desai's arrest. Moreover, they have got permission from BMC to prosecute two of its employees -Anil Patil (53), a suspended civil executive engineer, and Sandeep Kakulte (44), an assistant engineer-in the case."The BMC has sanctioned our application to prosecute the two. We will submit a chargesheet against the two officers soon," said DCP Abhishek Trimukhe.

While Desai is lodged in Taloja jail, Patil and Kakulte are in Arthur Road jail. The fourth accused, Shitlaprasad Kori, a former BMC chief engineer, is in police custody.

Last month, BMC chief engineer Sanjay Darade told the standing committee that civic engineers did not fully study the structural audit report submitted in September last year. The admission came after corporators pointed out that while the report summary said the FOB was in good condition, the detailed conditional assessment mentioned cracks in the parapet/railing, staircase being broken, concrete slabs having been corroded and beams being exposed. It also recommended tests for strength and durability, but none was conducted by BMC.

The police have cited a list of 83 witnesses against Desai, who was contracted by BMC to carry out the structural audit of bridges in south Mumbai for Rs 65 lakh. During the probe, it emerged that Desai had subcontracted NDT to Vadodara's Geo Dynamics. The audit report came almost two years after the contract was given on October 2016. On the report's delay, Desai's lawyer had said in court after his arrest that it occurred due to a delay in obtaining certain testing equipment sought by Desai's firm. "The initial inspection of the FOB was done in December 2016. There was back and forth with the civic body over the report, which added to the delay in its submission."

An official from Geo Dynamics had earlier told TOI, "Our work was limited to the extent of testing some piles and columns of the staircase. We were not associated with the entire job of auditing the structure. It wasn't that the work was sub-contracted to us in anyway."

The Times of India, May 10, 2019

Senior inspector winks at Mumbai dance bar show, faces the music

Mateen Hafeez / TNN 

May 9, 2019, 06.14 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: Gokulsingh Patil, a senior inspector at Gamdevi police station, was suspended on Monday for not taking action against alleged illegal activities at Golden Goose Restaurant & Bar in Grant Road. The suspension comes close on the heels of an April 27 raid at the orchestra bar carried out by Shivdeep Lande, DCP, anti-narcotics cell (ANC).

Lande’s team reportedly found women dancing and “making obscene and vulgar gestures” on the floor. Fiftyone people were arrested and handed over to Patil’s police station for further action. But Patil gave all of them a “table bail” at the police station instead of sending them to the lock-up and producing them in court the next day.

This is the first time in recent times that a police station’s in-charge has been suspended for not taking action against illegal bar activities.

Senior inspector pays for ‘carelessness’

During the raid, police officials found that the bar was making singers dance despite not being in possession of a dance bar licence.

“While an orchestra is allowed with permission, as of today, not a single bar has a dance licence,” said a senior police officer. “Patil, who was in-charge of the police station, had no control over the illegal activities at the bar. Hence, he has been suspended till further orders,” the officer added.

Being the police station’s senior-most officer, it was Patil’s responsibility to stop illegal activities in his jurisdiction, said the officer. “Zonal DCP Dnyaneshwar Chavan had raided this bar in September last year. Even at that time, Patil was asked to be careful and take action against those who flout rules.”

The activities continued though, and the information reached Lande, who formed a team and conducted a raid. ANC personnel arrested the cashier, the manager, the supervisor, nine waiters, 31 customers and eight bar girls.


The Times of India, May 9, 2018