Kolkata: Police on Monday arrested another person in connection with the massive fire at a budget hotel in the city’s Burrabazar area in which 14 people were killed, a senior officer said.
The arrested person, Sheikh Mohammed Sagir Ali, was the supervisor of the construction work that was being carried
out at the hotel. He had allegedly stored inflammable materials on the premises, the officer added.
So far, four persons have been arrested in this connection. Construction activities were ongoing on the hotel’s first floor and police suspect the fire originated from that area.
Police on Thursday arrested the owner and manager of Rituraj Hotel, two days after a devastating fire engulfed the central Kolkata property on April 29. A day later, Khurshid Alam, an interior decorator, was picked up from his Park Circus home.
Firefighters had recovered 13 charred bodies from the ruins of the six-storey hotel at Mechhua Falpatti, in the congested Burrabazar area, on Wednesday, with another victim succumbing to injuries later.
In the past six months, more than 10 major fire incidents were reported from across the city. In October, last year, a major fire broke out at an abandoned factory in Rajabazar area.
Six fire tenders were used to douse the flames. After almost a week, on October 23 night, another fire broke out at the Tiretti Bazar on Ezra Street.
15 fire tenders were used to extinguish the flames. After five days, a fire broke out at a slum on Prince Anwar Sharma road in which one person was injured.
During November and December, a few more fire incidents were reported from Kolkata and its suburbs.
This year, since January, several major fires broke out, including the incidents in Park Circus, Sealdah ESI Hospital, Narkeldanga, Park Street Pathuriaghata and several other places. With agency inputs