Mumbai: Loose iron scaffolding at GST office leaves bizman 'brain dead'

Rahul Saraf and the spot where the iron scaffolding fell on him

The negligence of the civic authorities has put a 35-year-old businessman on life support. Rahul Saraf was visiting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) office in Parel on Thursday when an iron scaffolding outside the building came crashing down on him due to the wind.

Saraf, who sustained head injuries, was rushed to KEM Hospital by his business associate, Ajit Kumar Yadav, and his driver, who were with him when the accident happened around 2.45 pm. Later in the evening, his family shifted him to Global Hospital in Parel where his situation worsened. "Right now he is in vegetative state and doctors have told us that he is brain dead," said Hitesh Bhartiya, Saraf's close friend.

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Rahul Saraf

His wife, Roshni, had just boarded a flight to Gujarat when she was informed about Saraf's accident. She deplaned and rushed to the hospital.

Saraf, director of commodity trading firm Maxgrow India Limited, had gone to the GST office in connection with a case where he was accused of availing R61 crore of Input Tax Credit by showing an inflated turnover of Rs 1,100 crore.

He was also accused of running 15 shell companies. He had gone to the office on Thursday for questioning. The police have registered a case against the owner and the manager of the building where the accident happened, and also the contractor who was hired for repair work. "We have registered the case under Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code," said an officer from Bhoiwada police station.

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Saraf is from Kolkata and had completed his graduation from Pune University in 2000, said Bhartiya, adding, "He is a self-made man and took his company from scratch to a turnaround of Rs 2,000 crore."

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