Hyderabad: Top Telugu actor Allu Arjun was Friday arrested by the city police in connection with the death of a woman during the premiere of his latest movie ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, official sources said.
The actor was taken into custody, amid tight security, from his residence and taken to Chikkadpally police station in a police vehicle.
A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son has been hospitalised in the incident which took place December 4 night when a large number of fans thronged the Sandhya theatre here to have a glimpse of the actor.
Read Also: Three arrested in connection with death of woman during ‘Pushpa 2’ screening
The city police have registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under sections 105 and 118(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.
Allu Arjun December 11 approached the Telangana High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in connection with the death of a woman.
After the formal arrest, Allu Arjun was taken to state-run Gandhi Hospital for medical tests.
A senior police official told mediapersons that he will be produced in a local court.
“We are following the procedure,” Hyderabad Additional Commissioner of Police (law and order) Vikram Singh Mann said.
Allu Arjun last week announced Rs 25 lakh to the family of the deceased and also assured the grieving family that they are not alone in this painful situation and he will meet the family personally.
Earlier, the police arrested three persons — one of the owners of the theatre, its senior manager and lower balcony incharge (at the theatre) — in connection with the case registered over the death of the woman due to asphyxiation as crowds jostled at the theatre during the premiere show of Allu Arjun’s movie.
According to the police, a huge crowd had gathered at the theatre to watch the movie and have a glimpse of the movie’s lead actors coming to the theatre. However, there was no intimation from the side of the theatre management or actors team that they would be visiting the theatre.
“The theatre management did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd nor was there any separate entry or exit for the actors team though the theatre management had information about their arrival,” a police release had said.
Around 9.30 pm December 4, Allu Arjun came to the theatre with his personal security and people gathered there tried to enter the theatre with him.
“His (Allu Arjun) personal security team started pushing the public, which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering at the theatre. Taking advantage of this situation along with the actor and his security team, a large number of people entered inside the lower balcony area.
“In this, one Revathi and her son felt suffocated due to a large public influx and immediately the police personnel who were on duty pulled them out of the public from the lower balcony and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her son and immediately shifted them to a hospital, where the doctor informed that she was dead,” it said.
The boy is now undergoing treatment in a Super Speciality Hospital.
PTI