Six booked for CO2 gas leak killing 2 workers in Pune

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 5, 2026 07:59 PM IST

Police sub inspector Balasaheb Jagdale lodged the first information report (FIR) in this case at the Talegaon MIDC police station of the Pimpri Chinchwad police on Saturday. (File Photo)

An offence has been registered against six officials and others in connection with the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) leak incident in the premises of Schaeffler India Ltd at Talegaon MIDC in Pune district, which caused the death of two workers and left three workers infected last month.

Police sub inspector Balasaheb Jagdale lodged the first information report (FIR) in this case at the Talegaon MIDC police station of the Pimpri Chinchwad police on Saturday.

As per a press release issued on Sunday, police have booked Schaeffler India Company’s Safety Officer Satish Sawale,47, heat treatment head Hemant Bal,48, along with A K Palani,55, director of Usha Fire Safety Company, branch head Arun Prakasham,55, and Ivan Tellis, 50, Director of Fernotech Engineers Private Ltd Company , project manager Abdulrehman Antule,52, under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (B), 125(b), 3(5).

According to police, five workers were doing the maintenance of fire extinguisher cylinders at the Schaeffler India Ltd company in Navlakh Umbre village on June 9.

Around 12.30 pm, a sudden and intense leak of carbon dioxide from the cylinders, caused the death of two workers identified as Vaibhav Bhausaheb Thorat(24), and Gaurishankar Rameshbhai Sharma(38), of Usha Fire Services, police said.

Three more workers including Schaeffler India company fireman Shrikrushna Sahu, safety officer Narsing Patil and Pramod Jayswar, a staffer of Fernotech Engineers, also got infected with the CO2 leak and were admitted to a hospital for treatment, police said.

After the incident came to light, an accidental death report was lodged at the Talegaon MIDC police station and an inquiry was initiated into this case.

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Senior police inspector Santosh Patil said, “Based on the findings of the inquiry, an offence of negligence was lodged against the concerned officials of Schaeffler India, Usha Fire Services and Fernotech Engineers. No arrest has been made yet. Further investigation is on.”

As per the press release, the FIR mentions that a fire suppression system having no emergency exit and sufficient ventilation was allegedly kept active without permission in the “pit (basement)” of the premises where the incident was reported.

The FIR stated that no trained staff and experts were appointed, no PPE kits were provided, no rescue team was deployed at the spot. The CO2 leaked out when the workers were replacing the old fire extinguisher cylinders from the fire suppression system. But due to alleged lack of coordination, and other reasons, the rescue operation got delayed, the FIR stated.

Assistant police inspector Ranjit Mohite, the investigation officer said the three workers injured during the incident were provided treatment and are stable.