Mumbai: Kherwadi cop dies, kin say he wanted transfer

ASI Arvind Khot, the deceased (right) his senior SI Rajendra Mulik

The Kherwadi cop, who sustained 95 per cent burns in a fire at the police station's storeroom, succumbed early Tuesday, said the police. The family of Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Arvind Khot told mid-day that he was overwhelmed with the responsibilities at the storeroom and had requested his senior for a transfer to another department, but he refused. Meanwhile, the police told mid-day that a burnt lighter was found in the storeroom and could be a crucial piece of evidence.

The investigating officer in the case said, "We will send the burnt lighter for forensic examination. The items kept inside the storeroom are old and we found burnt mobile phones as well as broken perfume bottles there. Witnesses said they heard a blast during the fire. We suspect the seized mobile phones had exploded and the perfumes could have aggravated the fire."

Kherwadi police station; (right) the temple Arvind Khot got made at Nagpada police quarters

The cops handed over Arvind's body to his family in the evening after his post-mortem was conducted at JJ hospital. Arvind died on Tuesday morning at Masina Hospital after his organs failed due to severe burns. Sources in the hospital said he had sustained major burns on his kidneys and lungs. They said, "His survival was difficult, as his entire body had been burnt."

Also Read: Mumbai: Police official injured in fire on Kherwadi police station premises

Kin's demands for DCP

Speaking with mid-day, the deceased's brother Narendra Khot said, "My brother was an ASI, and ASIs have to handle the storeroom and are responsible for every seized item stored there. My brother was overwhelmed with all his responsibilities. Arvind's wife told me that he was frustrated with the workload at the storeroom. He wanted to work in another department. He had requested Senior Inspector Rajendra Mulik to transfer him many times."

"I have lost my brother, who was a helpful and kind person. We want an investigation into how the fire broke out and how my brother got trapped in the storeroom. We have requested the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) to investigate the incident. We have also demanded to see the footage of the CCTV camera installed inside the storeroom of the Kherwadi police station," said Narendra, who is a police naik at Marine Drive police station.

DCP (Zone 8) Dikshit Gedam said, "We have not got any complaint from the family that ASI Arvind Khot was frustrated with his work and didn't want to work in the storeroom, and that SI Mulik was forcing him to work. We will check this."

A social worker

Another family member spoke to mid-day about the "big-hearted" cop. "Arvind was actively involved in social work and he built a Sai Baba temple on the premises of Nagpada police quarters, where he lived. He paid for the temple out of his own pocket. Every year, he took out a loan for Sai Baba palki and bhandara for everyone at the quarters. He was a gentleman"

A colleague of the deceased cop said, "Arvind was born and brought up in Dagdi Chawl in Byculla. He was a friend of a politician and underworld don. Arvind liked his style of walking and his way of speaking. He adopted his hairstyle and look."

ADR filed

An officer said, "The fire extinguisher at the police station was not enough to douse the fire, as it was intense. We had to take the help of the residents and get water. Everything in the storeroom was gutted."

DCP Gedam said, "We have not found out how the fire broke out. We are collecting evidence and checking CCTV cameras of the storeroom and other parts of the police station. We also registered an accidental death report (ADR) in the matter. We are taking help from the forensic team while investigating this matter. If anyone is found at fault, we will take action accordingly." mid-day did not get a response from Mulik for a comment at the time of going to press.