Freak stage accident kills Vistex Asia CEO during company's silver jubilee celebrations

Sanjay Shah, the CEO of Vistex Asia, passed away in a tragic incident when an iron cage contraption, carrying Shah and company president Vishwanath Raju Datlaa, collapsed during an event commemorating the company's 25th anniversary on Thursday. Shah was 56 years old.

On Thursday evening, amidst the festivities Sanjay Shah and Vishwanath Raju Datlaa participated in an unusual stunt inside an iron cage suspended at a height.

Tragically, the iron chain supporting the cage broke on one side, resulting in a fall. Both individuals were promptly transported to the hospital.


According to a ToI report, Vistex had reserved accommodations for its employees at Ramoji Film City and intended to conduct the silver jubilee festivities spanning two days. According to a company representative, the orchestrated descent of Shah and Raju from the cage onto the stage was a deliberate part of the program to inaugurate the celebrations.

The incident occurred at 7:40 pm as Shah and Raju were descending from an elevated position within an iron cage, utilizing ropes and pulleys to reach the platform below. Unexpectedly, one of the two cables connecting to the cage broke, resulting in a descent of over 15 feet and a subsequent landing on the concrete platform. This led to various injuries, as detailed by Sub-Inspector D Karunakar Reddy from the Abdullapurmet police station in his statement to TOI. It was noted that at the time of the mishap, music was playing, and Shah and Raju were acknowledging their staff while in the process of descending.

Unfortunately, Sanjay Shah succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while his colleague remains in a serious condition. The police have initiated legal action, registering a case against the event management authorities at Film City, following a complaint lodged by another company official.