Hyderabad: Police apprehended three persons in connection with the collapse of an iron truss at a Dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College in Nadargul on October 17. In the incident, a student died, and 22 others were injured.
The Adibatla Police have arrested event organiser Mallela Saketh, truss set-up company owner Bathula Puneeth and his employee Sayam Nishanth Yadav. Five more persons, including event personnel and college coordinators, are absconding, the police said.
The deceased was identified as Narayanadas Sona Chilikti. The truss came down beside the stage while students were dancing.
Police said Saketh operated under the name Kriyaa Operations and was responsible for arranging the stage, truss, sound system, generator and lighting for the event. He later subcontracted the work to other event organisers and lighting contractors.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the truss had been erected using only two pillars instead of the required four. Police are examining whether adequate safety precautions were followed during installation and the overall event arrangements.
Investigators seized mobile phones, agreement documents and financial transaction records from the arrested persons. The police recovered a 19-metre-long truss and an unauthorised DJ sound system from the organisers.
Police said efforts are underway to trace the absconding accused.