The Ulhasnagar Crime Branch of Thane police sought help from chemical experts, a forensic science team, and the Directorate of Industrial Safety & Health (DISH) in connection with the Dombivli chemical company explosion where ten people were killed while over 60 people suffered injuries. The owner of the Amudan Chemical Company, Malay Mehta, was arrested on Friday from Nashik by the Crime Branch team. Mehta was produced in Kalyan Court and was remanded into police custody for five days (May 29).
Ashok Koli, Senior Police Inspector, Ulhasngaar Crime Branch, said: 'We had police custody from the court for further investigation in the case. We sought the help of chemical experts, the Forensic team, and the Directorate Of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) to collect evidence and build a strong case against the accused. A team of four experts from different agencies visited Amudan Chemical Company and four to five other adjacent chemical companies. They collected samples of chemical liquids and charred pieces of materials to determine the specific type of chemical being manufactured or processed. The report will be submitted to the crime branch by the agency within four days.'
Koli further added that one team of police personnel visited Malay Mehta's house for a house search. We have confiscated documents of Amudan Chemical Company. We will go through these documents to determine whether Malay Mehta had the requisite permission for industry, manufacturing, or processing chemicals.
Three body parts, including a leg and a hand, were found on Sunday. The official death toll is 10, while 68 individuals were injured in the Dombivli blast. At least nine people from Amudan Chemical, Saptavrana, and Cosmos company are still missing. Out of the ten bodies, three have been identified as Riddhi Khanvilkar, Rohini Kadam, and Rakesh Rajput, who were recovered from the blast site during a rescue operation. Namdev Chaudhary, Chief of the Kalyan Fire Station, said, 'Two fire teams, comprising eight fire personnel, started a search operation on Sunday at 7:15 AM. The search operation was called off at 7 PM. Three body parts were found at the spot during the search operation.'
Manoj Chavan, 38, a missing person complaint was received late at night on Friday at Shashtrinagar Hospital. Dwaraka Chavan, the brother of Manoj Chavan, said that his brother worked at Amudan Chemical Private Limited for the last ten years and earned 18000 per month. He lived with his wife Geeta Chavan and four children in the Sonarpada area in Dombivli. "I checked every hospital as per instructions given by the police and fire officials, but he is still not traced. The doctor has taken a blood sample for a DNA test. The report will come within ten to 15 days."
Photo attached Manoj Chavan (Brother Dwaraka holding photo) | FPJ
Neeraj Singh Rajput, the brother of Rakesh Singh Rajput, said that his brother's body was feared to be trapped in the Saptavarne Chemical Company. On Saturday, my brother's body was recovered during a rescue operation. I recognized my brother's body, and later the post-mortem was conducted. The body was then handed for final rites. His brother, Rakesh Rajput, has five daughters, one son, his wife, Reeta Rakesh Rajput, and they live in Sonarpada in Dombivli. He worked at Saptavarne for the last 28 years.
Photo of Rakesh Singh Rajput (Wife shows her husband's photo) | FPJ
Neeraj Rajput said, "He demanded compensation from the owner of Saptavarne company, as his brother had worked here for many years and was killed in this company. He was the sole breadwinner for the family. However, his entire family came to a standstill."
Dhaval Waghani, 38, a resident of Thane, worked at Amudan Chemical company in the Account department for the last ten months. A blood sample of his family member was taken for a DNA test. They demanded with authority that the report would come on a priority basis. The family member, who resides in the USA, contacted FPJ.
Dhaval Waghani |
Three days after the Amudan Chemical Private Limited reactor exploded, the medical teams of Shashtrinagar Hospital and Rukhmani Bai Hospital took blood samples of the kin of eight bodies and 40 body parts recovered from the Dombivli blast, and dispatched them to the Kalina Forensics Laboratory in Kalina, Mumbai.
Dr. Suhasini Badekar, Chief Medical Officer of Shashtrinagar Hospital, said, 'A total of eight family members' blood samples have been taken. Twenty-two samples including bone or teeth were taken from eight bodies, and various body parts were found at the blast site. We have sent them to the forensic science laboratory in Kalina after registering them in the log book.'
She further added that the blood sample was merely taken from the father, brother, and son. She reveals that teeth, bones from bodies, and several parts of the body were taken as the body was completely charred.
Dr. Purushottam Tike, Chief Medical Officer at Rukhmani Bai Hospital in Kalyan, said, "A total of 18 samples of body parts were dispatched to the forensic laboratory in Kalina, and the remaining samples recovered on Sunday will be sent on Monday for DNA test."
Tahsildar Sachin Shejale of the Land Revenue Department of Kalyan Dombivli said, 'We formed a team of 25 Talathis. They visited the spot where the blast occurred. So far, we have conducted 941 panchanamas, including companies, hotels, showrooms, buildings, and houses that were affected following a reactor explosion. The panchanama procedure will resume on Monday.'
