Ghatkopar Hoarding Collapse: Arshad Khan & Ex-IPS Officer's Wife Moves Bombay HC After Sessions Court Reject Anticipatory Bail Plea

Mumbai: A week after his anticipatory bail was rejected by the Sessions court, Arshad Khan, business partner of suspended IPS officer and additional director general of police Quaiser Khalid's wife, has now moved Bombay high court for anticipatory bail.

While Mumbai police are still trying to gather more evidence and clues about Khan's whereabouts, he has been moving court for protection against arrest claiming he has no role to play.

The sessions court had on August 20 refused to grant him anticipatory bail observing that, "It also prima facie seems that the applicant and one Smt. Sumna Khalid, the wife of then Railway Police Commissioner during whose tenure said Ego Media has been granted permission to erect the said hoarding, are the partners in a firm namely Mahapara Lucknowi Garments. The investigating agency in this context wants to interrogate the applicant-accused to ascertain his role and others’ in the entire process of obtaining permission for erection of the said hoarding in favour of Ego Media from the Office of said Railway Police Commissioner."

The prosecution had claimed that it transpired that the present applicant received an amount exceeding rupees one crore from Ego Media for securing/procuring the permission for erecting the said hoarding. It is also revealed that between July 2021 and December 2023, a total sum of Rs. 84 lakhs has been transferred in 18 bank accounts from the bank accounts of Ego Media and Gujju Ads Pvt. Ltd.

Further it is also noted in the court's order that the agency in its further probe found that it was the applicant who had given several cheques to the account holders for encashment and ultimately, the amount of those cheques was paid to the applicant in cash. Those account holders have no concern with said Ego Media or Gujju Ads.

Hence the prosecution had claimed that, Khan was instrumental in procuring the permission for erecting the said hoarding from the office of Railway Police Commissioner under the assumption that the land over which the said hoarding was to be erected belongs to Indian Railways and therefore, no permission from BMC (MCGM) is required.

Crime Branch officials investigating the case have revealed that Khan will soon be declared absconding. Despite a recent raid on his residence, Khan was not found, and his phone remains switched off. Authorities fear he may attempt to flee the country, prompting the issuance of a Look-Out Circular (LOC) against him. Police are coordinating with airports to ensure he does not leave the country.

Khan’s statement is crucial to the investigation. The primary accused, Bhavesh Bhinde, informed the police that Khan was responsible for encashing post-dated cheques by depositing them in banks. However, police have yet to find substantial evidence to support Bhinde’s claim, as it appears Khan did not use his own bank accounts for these transactions. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently gathering evidence against Khan, including bank transactions and witness statements. These will be included in the chargesheet once Khan is arrested.