Four people have been arrested in connection with the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team’s first-ever IPL victory celebrations and killed 11 people earlier this week.
According to the police, Nikhil Sosale, a top marketing official of the RCB, was among those arrested. He was on his way to Mumbai when he was arrested from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at around 6.30 am.
Sosale handles all promotional activities of the RCB and is the main link between the players and the franchise. He also handles the team’s social media handles.
The remaining arrested people are members of event management company DNA Entertainment Private Limited – Sunil Mathew (Vice President, handles IPL events for DNA), Kiran and Sumanth.
The developments came hours after the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the arrest of representatives of the RCB team, DNA Entertainment Private Limited, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Police said the arrests were made during an overnight operation carried out by the Central Crime Branch under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay. The accused are likely to be handed over to the Crime Investigation Department today.
Two officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) – secretary Shankar and treasurer Jayram – are absconding and efforts are on to trace them. Police said they were not found in their houses.