VELLORE: Crime Branch-CID personnel on Monday arrested a 52-year-old building contractor in connection with the tannery tragedy, which claimed the lives of 10 workers in SIDCO Industrial Estate in Ranipet. The contractor Mani, a resident of Rathinagiri near Vellore, was arrested in connection with the collapse of the unauthorised Secure Land Fill (SLF) of Ranipet SIDCO Finished Leather Effluent Treatment Company.
Mani had constructed the massive structure that collapsed on January 31, an officer said. The police invoked Sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 304 (ii) (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code on him.
The investigating officer and DSP of CB-CID (Vellore) produced Mani before the Judicial Magistrate Court- II in Vellore and as per the court direction, he has been placed under judicial custody and remanded in the Vellore Central Prison for Men. Mani is the fourth person to be arrested in connection with the case. The CB-CID had arrested the managing director of the firm, Amirthakatesan and two other directors - Jayachandran and Subramaniyan - on February 7.