TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Pradip Singh Birring, a British passport holder and Jagdeep Sehgal, both former directors of Bharat Developers and Realtors Pvt Ltd, accused in the Ruby residency building collapse case were produced before the Special Court and remanded to five days police custody. The two were arrested from Vashi, Mumbai, by a team of Goa and Mumbai Crime sleuths on Friday. They were brought to Goa on transit remand on Saturday.
The Crime Branch had sought seven days remand, but the defence contended their role is limited to this fatal accident, and court should instead give minimum four days police custody.
The police had nabbed the accused following a tip-off from an informant, who suspected foul when Birring and Sehgal were selling their properties at a price much lower than market rate. He then contacted Crime Branch following which their counterparts in Navi Mumbai were roped-in and a trap was laid.
The defence counsel, representing the two builders charged with culpable homicide in the Ruby Residency tragedy, has demanded an investigation into Goa Police’s claims that Birring was hiding in Manchester.
Speaking to reporters thereafter, advocate Amit Palekar alleged that Crime Branch has been lying that Birring had escaped from the country and demanded a probe. “How the Interpol sent a message to Goa Police about his presence in Manchester also needs to be probed. We do not know who is lying, Interpol or Crime Branch. This needs a probe,” he said replying to a media question outside the court.
The collapse of the under construction Ruby Residency had killed 31 labourers and injured many. Nine persons including eight government officials and one contractor were arrested and subsequently bailed out.
