Gurugram police make first arrest in Chintels Paradiso building collapse that had killed two

Gurugram, December 21

Gurugram police on Wednesday arrested Ajay Austin, proprietor of Manish Switchgear and Construction, effecting the first arrest in Chintels Paradiso building collapse.

The company was responsible for retrofitting of a flat in D tower whose floor gave way triggering collapse of entire tower.

According to police, Austin has been arrested under Sections 304A, 304(2), 338, 427, 35, 417, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 12B of IPC and Sections 10, 12 HDRU Act, 1975.

He will be produced in a city court on Thursday, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Udyog Vihar, Manoj Kumar said.

Two women were killed when the dining room floor of a sixth-floor apartment of Tower D at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 came down on February 10, triggering the collapse of roofs and floors directly under it, till the first floor.

Around a month ago, a magisterial inquiry had found retrofitting in flat D 603 as the key trigger for the collapse and held both Chintels India and Manish Switchgear and Construction responsible for the same.

Probing the matter on the basis of the magisterial inquiry report, a special investigation team (SIT) led by ACP Kumar had called Ajay Austin to join the investigation on Wednesday. He was arrested later.

“We have arrested Ajay Austin, director of the Manish Switchgear and Constructions, and are questioning him. He will be produced in a city court tomorrow,” the ACP said.