The CEO and founder of a multinational software company based in the US, of Indian origin, tragically lost his life in an accident at Ramoji Film City (RFC). The incident unfolded during a corporate event marking the 25th anniversary of Vistex Asia-Pacific Private Ltd. CEO Sanjay Shah, aged 56, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital, while the company's president, Vishwanath Raju Datla, is in critical condition, fighting for his life, after an iron cage contraption collapsed.
Vistex had arranged accommodations for its staff at RFC and had scheduled its silver jubilee celebrations to span two days. According to a company representative, the descent of Shah and Raju from the cage onto the stage was a prearranged event intended to launch the celebrations.
The accident took place at night when Shah and Raju were being brought down from a height in the iron cage with the help of ropes and pulleys to the dais below. “Suddenly, one of the two wires attached to the cage snapped. Both plunged more than 15 feet and landed on the concrete dais. This caused multiple injuries,” sub inspector D Karunakar Reddy of Abdullapurmet police station told the media.
“At the time of the accident, music was being played and Shah and Raju were waving to their staff while being lowered.” They were rushed to a local hospital and later shifted to a corporate hospital when their condition deteriorated. Shah died a little while later. The cage had iron wires on both sides, grills on three sides and an opening through which the guests entered it. “A rolling machine was pulling the cage when the strings broke. The compartment collapsed at great speed,” a police officer said.