The Mumbai Police on Monday arrested two managers of Lower Parel’s 1Above lounge, where a massive fire killed 14 people on Friday, The Indian Express reported. A court sent them to police custody till January 9, according to ANI.
The police said the managers, Kevin Bawa and Nitesh, fled the restaurant on the night of the fire and did not help rescue the customers. They have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The owners of the restaurant are still missing.
The fire broke out at 1Above inside Mumbai’s Kamala Mills on Friday and soon spread to other eateries and the adjacent building, which houses the offices of several TV channels. Five municipal officials were suspended the next day, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised action against the guilty.
A day later, the police issued a lookout notice against three co-owners – brothers Kripesh and Jigar Sanghvi, and Abhijeet Manka. They were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. On Sunday, they arrested two relatives of the owners and booked a third for allegedly protecting the owners.
Action taken so far
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said it will investigate more than 100 officers and engineers for allegedly allowing illegal modifications at bars, pubs and restaurants in their jurisdictions.
The municipal corporation on Sunday sealed 30 restaurants in the city’s 24 wards, a day after demolishing illegal structures at 314 eateries and sealing seven of them.
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