Maharashtra: 7 police teams tracking down Shivaji Maharaj statue’s sculptor

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was erected by the Navy and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. File Pic/PTI

The police in Sindhudurg district have pressed more than seven teams to track down sculptor and contractor Jaydeep Apte, booked over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot fort, an official said on Wednesday. Police have been searching for 24-year-old Apte since the day of the collapse on August 26, but he has remained untraceable, the official said.

The Sindhudurg police have also issued a look-out circular (LOC) against Apte to prevent him from leaving the country through sea ports, airports and all other exit points, he said. Teams of Sindhudurg police are searching for him at places, including Mumbai, Thane, Sindhudurg and Kolhapur. Some of the teams are using technical help to apprehend the accused, the official said.

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A police team had visited Apte's residence at Dudhnaka in Kalyan of Thane district, but it was locked, he said. Apte had executed the contract to make the 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior king, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fort in Malvan tehsil on Navy Day, December 4, last year.

After the statue collapsed, the 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 statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state has triggered a huge political row ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

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