An official from the Virar-Vasai Municipal Corporation (VVMC) has been arrested for the deadly building collapse in Palghar, Maharashtra. The incident, which killed 17 people in August, is now linked to Gilson Gonsalves, the Assistant Commissioner of ward C, arrested on December 4. The Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar police took him into custody for neglecting duties under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. A structural audit had flagged the Ramabai Apartment as unsafe and unauthorised, but Gonsalves did not act. "Assistant Commissioner Gonsalves did not take the mandated action under the MRTP Act when the structural audit found the building to be dangerous and its construction was unauthorised. A case has been registered against him for dereliction of duty by colluding with the building contractor," said a police official. The illegal four-storey building collapsed onto a vacant tenement on August 26, killing 17 people, including two children. It was built around 2012 by the landowner and developer using poor materials and without technical advice. So far, six people have been booked, including the developer Neetal Sane, two landowner women, and their husbands, who collected rent from residents.