Mumbai: The sculptor who made the statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Rajkot Fort which collapsed recently was detained by Kalyan Police. The man was identified as Jaideep Apte. The Sindhudurg police had been on a lookout for the man ever since the statue collapsed last month.
Police informed that Apte was picked up from Thane’s Kalyan on Wednesday night. The statue of Shivaji Maharaj collapsed on August 26, less than 9 months after its inauguration.
2 arrested for statue collapse so far
The police had been searching for the 24-year-old sculptor ever since the statue collapsed in August. The structural consultant Chetan Patil, who was also involved in the statue construction has already been arrested in the case. The arrest came last week and he was picked up from Kolhapur.
Talking about the latest arrest in the case, police said that Apte had been absconding ever since the statue collapsed. On Wednesday the man returned to his home in Kalyan to meet his mother and wife. However luck ran out for him and the police were waiting for him there. They immediately arrested him.
Following the collapse of the statue, the police had issued a “Lookout notice” against Apte. He had been absconding ever since the incident. Finally on Wednesday night, the police were able to successfully nab the culprit.
Statue collapse leads to political row in Maharashtra
The collapse of Shivaji statue at Rajkot Fort has caused a major row in the state. The opposition has targeted the Eknath Shinde-led government over the issue. Even on Sunday the Opposition parties, who work under the banner of Maha Vikas Aghadi held a protest march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in Mumbai.
Following the arrest of the accused (Apte) in the case, the Shinde government said that the opposition should stop their criticism now, over the statue collapse incident. One of the leaders of the BJP claimed that though it took time, the police had done their job.
However the opposition was in no mood to relent. A leader from the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray said that Apte should have been arrested sooner, because he was no underworld don. He said that the Shinde-led government had no right to take credit for the arrest, as they were duty bound to do it.
