Mumbai: In a tragic incident in Mahim (West), Mumbai, police have arrested Ashok Naik, 52, the owner of Crystal Aircon Company, and booked him for culpable homicide after an air conditioning compressor explosion resulted in one death and left seven others seriously injured on June 13.
Naik, a resident of Shivaji Chhatrapati Chawl, Sing Estate, Samtanagar, Kandivali, allegedly employed untrained workers for the repair job without following necessary safety precautions.
According to the police, the explosion occurred around 6 PM on June 13 at Rebel Foods Pvt. Ltd.’s cloud kitchen located on Veer Savarkar Marg in Mahim (West). Crystal Aircon had been contracted by the owners of Rebel Foods for the repair of an air conditioning unit.
The repair work was being carried out both inside the premises and on a machine installed in an open space near the footpath, which reportedly had a gas leak and was being refilled at the time.
According to the police, during the repair, a gas leak in the outdoor AC unit was being refilled when the compressor exploded around 6 PM, triggering a blast that resulted in the death of one worker and injuries to several others nearby.
The AC compressor exploded during the repair, killing one of the workers, Noor Alam Ahmed Ali Shaikh, 38, and seriously injuring seven others nearby include: Pravin Pujari,28, Mukesh Gupta,25, Shivmohan Pal,26, Deepali Godatkar,24, Sana Shaikh,25, Shridevi Bandichhode, 31, and Kamlesh Jaiswal,22.
Upon receiving information about the explosion, the local Mahim police and Mumbai Fire Brigade rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire. The injured were immediately taken to Sion Hospital for emergency treatment. Noor Alam was declared dead on arrival, while the others are currently undergoing treatment.
Police investigations revealed that Ashok Naik had sent untrained workers from his company to carry out the hazardous repair job, allegedly without providing them with any safety equipment or measures.
The Mahim Police have registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 105 (culpable homicide), 125(a), 125(e), 288, 289, and 324(5).
