THANE: The police on Saturday said the owner of Kohinoor Apartment in Bhiwandi was believed to be abroad after the building’s collapse killed 10 people and injured three, while the contractor accused of carrying out unauthorised structural repairs may have died in the same incident.Bhoiwada police registered an FIR against owner Bilal Ahmed Abubakar Khan and contractor Ashok, alleging the 13-year-old building was constructed without sanctioned plans and deteriorated rapidly due to poor construction quality.Police launched a manhunt for Khan, while officials said reports of Ashok’s death in the collapse were yet to be officially verified.The B Wing of the building collapsed between 11.20 pm on July 30 and 5 pm on July 31. Police said the structure was built without approval from the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation and was declared structurally unsafe on multiple occasions.Despite repeated civic notices, the owner allegedly failed to evacuate tenants or carry out authorised repairs.Police said unauthorised repair work in the days before the collapse was the immediate trigger.“It is suspected that Ashok allegedly carried out structural repairs without civic permission, damaging load-bearing pillars on the lower floors and causing the building to cave in. Things would be more clear once the probe progresses,” said a senior official.Police invoked Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Sections 125(a) and 125(b) (acts endangering life and causing hurt), and Section 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS along with other charges.Senior inspector Vikram Mohite said police sought all documents related to the building and land. Investigators also examined whether civic officials were negligent in acting on earlier complaints about the building’s dangerous condition.
