Film shoot case: Police arrest ‘Ranam’ stunt director

Subhash who was arrested on Monday.

The city police on Monday arrested the assistant stunt director working on ‘Ranam’ on Monday, a day after the kin of cylinder blast victims staged a dramatic protest before the Bagalur police station and atop a mobile phone tower to highlight the laxity of the police.

The arrested has been identified as Subhash (55), a resident of Kengeri. The police arrested him on learning that he was actually involved in the execution of the particular stunt, which led to the tragic deaths.

“Subhash was the one who was responsible for the execution of that particular stunt scene and he was the one who assembled the multiple compressor cannons under the SUV for the scene,” said Kala Krishnamurthy, DCP, Northeast.

A senior police officer said that Subhash, along with his senior film crew, was supposed to get the permission for the shoot, but due to the time constraints, they neglected it.

Another senior official, who was part of the investigation, said: “Though Subhash had experience in organising the sort of stunts that was staged during the ‘Ranam’ shoot, and had done the same for a number of movies, he is being accused of negligence while organising this stunt scene.”

Sumera Banu’s husband Tabrez Khan and his brother Munawwar Khan told DH that Mohammed Humayun Nagte, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (Sampigehalli subdivision), has assured them of justice being done in the case. The prime accused and producer of film Srinivas R, film director Samudra V, film production manager Kiran and the stunt manager Vijayan are yet to be arrested.

“Stunt manager Vijayan was in a hurry to catch a flight to Chennai, but after the city police alerted the airport officials, he somehow got the information and went by road to Chennai,” a senior police officer said. The equipment used in the film shoot have been seized for further investigation.

Meanwhile, A S Chinne Gowda, president, Karnataka Film Chamber Of Commerce (KFCC), on Monday met Sumera’s elder daughter, Zainab Khan (8), at the Re-Live Hospital in Bagalur.

Tabrez is planning to shift Zainab from Relive hospital to another private hospital in HBR Layout.