Mumbai: The sessions court has refused to grant bail to the 37-year-old businessman from Thane, from whose office the explosive/inflammable substances were allegedly delivered to an air passenger, which led to a fire at the airport. There was no casualty in the mishap.
The incident took place on August 16 when one Sameer Bishwas boarded a flight for Ethiopia. The blaze erupted when his luggage was being loaded into the plane, leading to his arrest. According to the police, the explosive/inflammable substances had come from the office of the businessman, Vishwanath Senguntar, and he knew that the items were being sent to Biswas and that he was travelling by flight.
The police further said that Senguntar didn't bother despite knowing well that such substances are not permitted to be carried during the air travel and that they may catch fire. In his defence, the businessman argued that none of his activity has been recorded in the CCTV footage and that he is just an assistant to the manager.
“He has not committed any such crime and is not concerned with the recovery of the chemicals from the baggage of Biswas,” said his lawyer, adding that the only allegation against Senguntar is that the inflammable liquid and powder were from his office.
Raising objection, the prosecution asserted that he had full knowledge about the transfer of the chemicals. It pointed out that the police are yet to receive the report of the chemical analysis specifying the nature of the substance found in the baggage.
After hearing both sides, the court observed, “Prima facie, it appears that baggage containing explosive/inflammable substances were delivered from Senguntar's office. There is ample material on record against him.”
The court further said, “The offence is serious in nature and against the society. The chemical analysis report is yet to be received from the forensic science laboratory.” The other co-accused is yet to be arrested. If the applicant is released on bail, the possibility of tampering with the prosecution witnesses cannot be ruled out, it added.
