Maharashtra Police on Wednesday arrested sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte, wanted in connection with the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot fort last month, from Kalyan in Thane district, officials said.
According to sources, Apte is currently being held at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP).
The 24-year-old sculptor from Kalyan was arrested after being missing and untraceable for around 10 days since the 35-feet-tall Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, inaugurated less than nine months ago, collapsed on August 26.
Notably, Apte, the owner of an art company in Kalyan with no prior experience of constructing large statues, was responsible for creating the Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg's Malvan, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year.
The collapse of the statue of the Maratha state's iconic founder sparked a significant political controversy ahead of Maharashtra's Assembly elections, with the Opposition criticising the Eknath Shinde-led government.
Reacting to Apte's arrest, BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, "Those who were critical of our government must shut their mouths now. It is true that police took a little long to arrest Jaydeep Apte. We are not taking any credit for arresting, but the police did their job."
As the politics heated over the sudden collapse of the giant statue, Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Patil was arrested on August 31, while a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against Apte.
Objections were raised by opposition leaders about how Apte was awarded such a significant contract despite his lack of experience in crafting such a massive structure. Shiv Sena (UBT) even accused the Mahayuti government of shielding Apte.
Sindhudurg Police teams have been actively searching for Apta in various locations, including Mumbai, Thane, and Kolhapur. A police unit previously visited his residence in Kalyan, Thane district, but found it locked.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress alleged that only Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the statue's construction, despite Rs 236 crore being allocated from the state treasury for the project.
