The head of the firm that carried out maintenance on the Morbi suspension bridge, which tragically collapsed in October killing 135, was formally accused on Friday by Gujarat Police.
Managing director of Oreva Group's Ajanta Manufacturing Limited, Jaysukh Patel, is one of ten suspects named in a charge sheet released this week. The 1,262-page sheet comes nearly three months after the tragedy happened.
While talking to the media, Rajkot Inspector General Ashok Yadav said that the charge sheet names ten people , of which nine have been arrested, with Patel absconding.
“All steps are being taken to arrest him as soon as possible. He is untraceable right now,” Yadav added.
According to media reports, Patel has been missing since the incident happened. A warrant was issued for his arrest last week.
The British-era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30 resulting in the death of at least 135 people.
After the tragic incident, Gujarat state government cited several failures by Oreva Group including shoddy maintenance, the failure to limit the number of people on the bridge and the unrestricted sale of tickets.
Police say around 300 people were on the bridge when it collapsed after the cables snapped.