Mumbai | Police in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district has issued a Look Out Circular against contractor Jaydeep Apte in connection with the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot fort, officials said on Tuesday.

An LOC is issued to airports and all other exit points to stop a person from fleeing the country.

Apte, a Thane-based sculptor, had executed the contract to make the statue.

Following its collapse on August 26, less than nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on the coastal fort, Malvan police registered a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences.

Patil was arrested from Kolhapur, whereas search was on for Apte, a police official said, adding that Malvan police has now issued an LOC for him.

The collapse of the statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state triggered a huge political row ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra.