Kurla building collapse: 3 house owners booked

Mumbai: A day after 19 people died in the Kurla building collapse, the Nehru Nagar police named three owners of houses in the building as the accused in the FIR. The trio are currently on the run and the police said more names are expected to be added in the days to come. On Tuesday, within 12 hours of the incident, the police had arrested the labour contractor, Dilip Vishwas, who had accommodated tenants with the knowledge that it was a dilapidated, dangerous structure.

The police said the three house owners have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Indian Penal Code for renting out their houses to the victims despite knowing the condition of the building.

Senior police inspector Chandrashekhar Bhabal said, “We recorded statements from several injured victims and identified the three accused based on their statements. We’ve launched a manhunt for them and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend them as soon as possible.”

The survivors have told the police that they were paying a monthly rent of Rs 12,000, and that the accommodation was arranged by Vishwas.

Bhabal said, “Inquiries are still underway with the survivors and we will be taking similar action against anyone else who is found to be responsible for the deaths of the victims at whatever level.”

Published on: Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 11:32 PM IST