Deadly Building Collapse in India Caused by Illegal Alterations, Police Say
By GEETA ANANDJULY 26, 2017
MUMBAI, India — The Mumbai police on Wednesday arrested a man affiliated with a local political party, accusing him of making illegal alterations to the ground floor of a five-story building
that caused it to collapse a day earlier, killing at least 17 people and injuring a dozen others.
Mr. Bharti said the police believed that Mr. Shitap had been making illegal alterations to the ground floor
of the building, where he operated a nursing home, in Ghatkopar, an area east of the city center.
Relatives of the victims and other residents of the building said Mr. Shitap was affiliated with Shiv Sena, a local party.
Deven Bharti, joint commissioner of the Mumbai police, said charges of culpable homicide
and endangering the lives of others had been filed against the man, Sunil Shitap.
Most residents owned their apartments, and many were in the upper four floors when the building collapsed about
10:45 a.m. Mr. Shitap, who is in police custody, could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.