Tech CEO Plunges to Death Trying to Make Grand Entrance at Company Party

"He was a lovely human being who led with quiet confidence and gave back generously."

Freak Accident

What was meant to be a theatric on-stage entrance quickly turned into a grisly scene when a tech executive plunged to his death in India, falling 20 feet from a wooden structure suspended above a concrete stage.

Worst of all, the horrific accident was caught on camera, with the video circulating widely online.

Vistex CEO Sanjay Shah, who hailed from a Chicago suburb, and company president Ruja Datla, fell in front of a crowd of 700 people, who gathered at the Ramoji Film City studios in Hyderabad, India for an employee celebration.

Instead of slowly being lowered inside an iron cage, the pair plummeted 15 feet after the chain supporting the cage snapped on one side, as CBS reports. Datla is reportedly in critical condition after suffering a severe head injury. Shah later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

 

Gone Too Soon

Shah founded Vistex, a multinational software company, in 1999. The company has grown to have 20 offices across the globe and has a list of prominent clients including General Motors and Coca-Cola.

According to the Times of India, Vistex has since made a complaint to police over lax safety measures at the venue, and cops are investigating.

The CEO's sudden death has led to an outpouring of heartfelt messages.

"My deepest condolences to family and friends and to all the company, to which I still feel, somehow, part of," a Spain-based employee wrote in a LinkedIn post. "Hope that Raju gets recovered as soon as possible."

Others noted Shah's philanthropic efforts.

"He was a lovely human being who led with quiet confidence and gave back generously including building a world-class hospital in India," Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami wrote. "He will be sorely missed! May his soul rest in peace."

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