Bengaluru:

The Bengaluru Police on Wednesday arrested the owner of the collapsed under-construction building that claimed five lives. Muniraj Reddy, an Andhra Pradesh-based builder, has been charged with negligence, officials said.

Reddy’s son, Bhuvan, and the building’s contractor Muniyappa, have also been taken into police custody for questioning.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had said that the collapsed building was “illegal” and ordered an immediate action against owners of such structures.”This incident is a lesson for us. To prevent such incidents from reoccurring in the future, it will be made mandatory to obtain permission for the buildings and a team will be deployed to monitor the buildings under construction,” he said.

Following this, a manhunt was launched to arrest Reddy and those involved in the incident.

The under-construction building collapsed last afternoon in the Horamavu Agara area in the eastern part of Bengaluru amid heavy rainfall in the city. The death count in the tragedy has since climbed to five and seven others have been injured. Thirteen people have been rescued so far from the debris.

The victims have been identified as Harman (26), Tripal (35), Mohd Sahil (19) from Bihar, Sathya Raju (25), and Shankar.

According to officials, there were over 20 people inside the building at the time of the collapse.

Efforts are underway to clear the debris with teams from the fire and emergency department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) being pressed into rescue operations since Tuesday afternoon. A dog squad also joined the rescue operation.

The death count in the Bengaluru building collapse increased to five on Wednesday morning as rain continued to batter the IT hub. Efforts are underway to clear the debris and rescue the trapped persons. Five people have been injured and 13 have been rescued so far, officials said.

The building collapsed last afternoon in the Horamavu Agara area in the eastern part of Bengaluru. There were around 20 people inside the building at the time of the collapse, said officials.

The rescue operation resumed this morning amid a continuous downpour in the city. A dog squad also joined the rescue operation, reported news agency ANI.

One of the trapped persons, Ayaaz, was rescued alive after being stuck for nearly 16 hours.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar visited the tragedy site on Tuesday night, stating that 21 people were trapped under the debris. The under-construction collapsed building was being built illegally on a 60/40 land, he said, assuring that strict action will be taken against the culprits.

“The search for the others continues. First we will complete the rescue work and then give a suitable solution. NDRF, SDRF rescue team, fire brigade, and police have done well. I have ordered action against the owners of buildings constructed illegally without permission in Bengaluru. This incident is a lesson for us. To prevent such incidents from reoccurring in the future, it will be made mandatory to obtain permission for the buildings and a team will be deployed to monitor the buildings under construction,” he wrote in a post on X.

“We are labourers working here. When we were on a lunch break at around 1.00 pm, we heard a loud sound, and the building started shaking. A man who was working inside the building died on the spot,” another eyewitness, Mehfoos, stated, while speaking to ANI.