Chennai building collapse: Two more arrests

The total number of people detained in connection with the building collapse has gone up to eight

Two persons, wanted in connection with the June 28 under construction building collapse that killed 61 persons near suburban Porur, were arrested today by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up to probe the mishap, taking the total number of those detained to eight.

Director of the project promoter Prime Shristi Housing Pvt. Ltd. M Balagurusamy and construction engineer K Karthik, against whom the police had launched a manhunt, were arrested by the SIT, a city police release said.

Balagurusamy is a relative of the company's Managing Director M Manoharan, it said.

Six persons, including Manoharan, were arrested last week following the fatal mishap, where the 11-storeyed building collapsed at Moulivakkam.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had on July 6 announced the setting up of the SIT. The government had earlier ordered a one-man inquiry commission headed by retired Madras High Court Judge R Raghupathy to probe the circumstances that led to the mishap that also left 27 persons injured.