Vijayawada: The police arrested six persons and presented them, as well as one person who had surrendered, before the media as the people whose negligence had resulted in the boat capsizing incident. The accused were identified as Sesham Moda Kondal Rao, Neelam Seshagiri Rao, Machavaraju Manoj Kumar, Vinjamuri Vijaya Saradhi, Gedela Srinu, Bhaira Swamy and Gedela Lakshmi.

A criminal case has been registered against the accused under Section 304 (2) of the IPC. Gowtham Sawang, the Commissioner of Police, said that it was not a regular case of negligence because the accused were aware that their actions could endanger the lives of tourists. He said that Mr Kondal Rao, who has been named as Accused No. 1, floated River Boating and Adventures as a partnership firm, with himself as its managing partner. “He has stated that he is a benami, but we have to verify that in our investigation,” the Commissioner said. According to the police report, Mr Kondal Rao collected investments amounting to Rs 75 lakh from his friends and relatives.