Mumbai: Crane operator booked after container crushes surveyor to death

The complainant was told the container had to be kept in the yard as it was damaged. Representation Pic

The Uran police in Navi Mumbai have booked a crane operator, Shishir Prabhat Khalkho, 46, for negligence after a container fell on a 26-year-old surveyor, resulting in his death, on Wednesday night.

According to the police, the complainant in the case, Ahmednagar resident Santosh Laxman Andhale, 41, drives trucks for a transport firm and had brought the container to the container yard of Epic Global Service Pvt Ltd near Shankar Mandir in Uran where the tragedy unfolded. Andhale told the police that after loading the container in Panvel and unloading it in Pune, he was informed that the container was damaged so it had to be kept in the yard.

Andhale's statement to police reads, "On July 3, around 8.30 pm, the empty container was being lifted from my truck by a crane in the yard. Both the locks of the crane were not in good condition. A surveyor, Sandeep Dinesh Chaurasia, was inspecting the container as it had to be kept in the yard. The crane operator was aware that the surveyor was directly below the container and that the lock on the right side of the crane was defective. Still, he lifted the container, and due to his carelessness, the lock broke and Chaurasia was crushed to death immediately."

The Uran police have registered a case under Section 106 (1) of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita and are probing the matter. "After the incident, our team reached the spot and started the investigation. We found the crane driver to be negligent and detained him. As the penalty for his offence is less than seven years' imprisonment, we served him notice and let him go," said Rajendra Kote, senior police inspector, Uran police station.