40 minutes of horror for Rane in lift

40 minutes of horror for Rane in lift

State industries minister Narayan Rane had the scare of his life when he, along with his friends and security guards, got stuck in an elevator for around 40 minutes at an eight-storey building in Santa Cruz (West) on Thursday. They were removed after the supervisor and technicians of the company in-charge of maintaining the elevator were called. Fire brigade officials and the local police were also informed about the incident. Angered by the incident, Rane lodged a complaint and asked the local police to inquire into the matter. The police arrested three persons of Otis Company under Section 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The company was given a one-year contract for the maintenance of the elevator. According to the police, the incident took place between 11.50am and 12.30pm when Rane, along with his friends and security guards, visited Mangal Murti Building, a commercial complex, on Link Road in Santa Cruz (West) for some private work. “Rane was going to the fourth floor when the lift got stuck between the second and third floors. They informed the other people who had come along with Rane and were waiting downstairs and also informed the Mumbai police control room,” said senior police inspector Arun Chavan of the Santa Cruz police station. The company’s supervisor and two technicians reached the building and started the rescue operation. “The outer door of the elevator at the third floor was opened and they were pulled out one by one. The height between the second and third floor was more than seven to eight feet and it took around 40 minutes to get them out of the lift,” added Chavan. Chavan said during investigations, the police found that the lift was not working properly and had been stalled several times in the past. “The contractor who took money for the maintenance did not carry out proper repair work, due to which this incident took place,” he said. The arrested include Dinesh Baban Waghchore, who is a supervisor and V Govindraj and Subhasg Bhirvekekar, who are technicians in the company. p_manish@dnaindia.net

Published Date:  Sep 01, 2012