The collapsed statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: In a major swoop, police have nabbed Chetan Patil, the structural consultant for the bronze statue of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that collapsed earlier this week.
Following the collapse of the 35-feet tall statue at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, the Sindhudurg police filed an FIR against Patil and sculptor Jaydeep Apte who continues to be at large.
While Patil hails from Kolhapur, Apte is from Thane.
Patil was arrested by the Kolhapur police in the wee hours on Friday.
Multiple teams of police from Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Thane have fanned out to various locations to track down the two suspects.
The collapse of the statue triggered a political storm in Maharashtra, which is headed to the Assembly polls as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has alleged that there is a “Thane connection” to the statue even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has come under fire.
Patil had submitted the platform design to the Indian Navy via the Public Works Department (PWD). The FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5).
The statue, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg on December 4, 2023 coinciding with Navy Day, sustained considerable damage due to strong winds, according to initial assessment of the Indian Navy, Maharashtra Police and PWD.