Bhiwandi building collapse: How Mallu Bhai's curiosity helped save 300 lives

Updated On: 01 August, 2026 08:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer

Ashwin Verma, 30, known locally as ‘Mallu Bhai’, and his buddies went to see repair work being done and ended up saving many residents before shaking building collapsed

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Ashwin Verma (centre, in yellow) with the friends who joined him in rescuing residents from the Bhiwandi building after it began shaking during repair work. Pics/By Special Arrangement

Curiosity turned into a life-saving rescue mission for 30-year-old Ashwin Verma, popularly known as ‘Mallu Bhai’, and his group of friends after they noticed repair work underway at the four-storey Kohinoor Building in Bhiwandi on Thursday night.

The group had gone to see what work was being carried out when they noticed labourers repairing damaged pillars. Within minutes, the building began shaking, prompting them to launch an impromptu evacuation that residents say saved hundreds of lives before a portion of the structure collapsed. Ten people died in the incident.