Contractor arrested for death of scooter rider in Andheri gas leak fire | Mumbai news

MUMBAI: The MIDC police on Wednesday arrested the contractor who was allegedly responsible for the death of the food delivery executive whose vehicle caught fire on Saturday. Aman Saroj, 22, was riding pillion on a scooter that went up in flames due to the gas leak which occurred after an MGL pipeline under an Andheri road was damaged during unauthorised digging. He suffered 50% burns and passed away in the Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari on Monday.

ACP Dr Shashikant Bhosale said the MIDC police had filed an FIR against the contractor identified as Pravin Khairnar (35), the earthmover operator who damaged the pipeline and others who were assigned the road-digging work.

The police arrested Khairnar for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and produced him before the court on Wednesday where he was remanded to police custody for two days. Khairnar’s lawyer, Akash Gupta, told the court that the BMC officials, who were present at the spot, did not take the necessary precautions and fled as soon as the fire broke out. The police are also looking into the suspected involvement of a BMC official in the case.

The excavator operator, who was asked to flee the spot with the crane as soon as the pipeline started leaking, was also served notice to be present at the police station for investigation.

Another food delivery agent, Arvindkumar Kaithal (21), who was riding the scooter in question, is still in a critical condition. Auto driver Suresh Gupta, who suffered injuries, has been taken out of the Jogeshwari hospital ICU.