Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue Collapse: Sculptor Jaydeep Apte Arrested From Thane, Says Police; Video

Mumbai, September 4: Jaydeep Apte, sculptor of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue that collapsed at Rajkot fort, was arrested from Thane district on Wednesday, said police.

Earlier, Sindhudurg police in Maharashtra formed seven teams to track down sculptor Jaydeep Apte who executed the contract to make the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that collapsed on Rajkot fort last month, an official said on Wednesday.

A joint technical committee of five members visited the fort at Malvan during the day and examined the site, said an official.

Police was searching for Apte since the statue, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day less than nine months ago, collapsed on August 26.

Look Out Circular (LOC) Was Issued

A Look Out Circular (LOC) too was issued to stop Apte from leaving the country.

Teams of Sindhudurg police had been searching for him at several places including Mumbai, Thane and Kolhapur. A police team also visited Apte's residence in Kalyan town of Thane district, but it was locked, the official said, reported PTI.

After the statue collapsed, Malvan police registered a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences. Patil was arrested from Kolhapur last week.

The collapse of the 35-feet statue has triggered a huge political row ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra with the Opposition targeting the Eknath Shinde-led government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was in Palghar last week apologised over the incident of statue collapse. However, Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray said that the PM's apology "smacked of arrogance" and that the people of Maharashtra would not accept the apology.

Police has also sent samples of the materials used for the statue as well as the platform on which it stood to a forensic science laboratory for chemical analysis, reported PTI.

(With PTI Inputs)