Ghatkopar Hoarding Collapse: Mumbai Crime Branch Files 600-Page Chargesheet Against Arshad Khan

The Mumbai Crime Branch has submitted a 600-page supplementary chargesheet against Arshad Khan, a resident of Govandi and business partner of suspended IPS officer Qaiser Khalid's wife, in connection with the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case.

Khan's involvement came under scrutiny after investigators discovered that he had allegedly received ₹84 lakh from Bhavesh Bhinde’s firm, Ego Media. A senior police officer stated that while no direct financial link to Khalid has been found, Khan failed to legally justify or provide authentic documentation explaining the purpose of the money.

During interrogation, Khan claimed that the money was transferred to the bank accounts of his family members from Ego Media in exchange for supplying medicines to Bhinde. He stated that his brother-in-law, who owns a medical store in Mumbai, had supplied medicines that were later distributed to the public during the pandemic. Investigations revealed that Khan used the bank accounts of his wife, brother-in-law, and nephew to receive funds from Ego Media. Additionally, he persuaded over a dozen people from Govandi to allow him to use their bank accounts for depositing cheques amounting to ₹84 lakh, which he later withdrew.

However, the chargesheet states that Khan could not legally justify the transactions. The document includes statements from 20 witnesses, along with several others whose testimonies were recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.

Khan had been on the run for nearly seven months before being arrested by the police in Lucknow in December. Meanwhile, IPS officer Qaiser Khalid was suspended after being accused of illegally granting permission to Ego Media. While Khan, Khalid’s wife’s business partner, was found to have accepted the substantial sum from Bhinde’s firm, no conclusive financial link has been established between Khalid and the transactions.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing.

Published on: Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 03:11 AM IST