3 accused in Mumbai Kamala Mills fire evade cops even after 72 hours of incident

Accused ran pub from which fire is believed to have spread to neighbouring establishments

megha.sood@hindustantimes.com

The fire on December 29 killed 14 people and injured 55 others (HT FILE)

Even 72 hours after the fire in Kamala Mills that killed 14 people and injured 55 others, the NM Joshi Marg police are unable to trace three accused who ran the pub from which the fire is believed to have started on December 29.

According to the police, the phones of the accused Kripesh and Jigar Sanghvi and their partner Abhijit Mankar who ran the pub 1Above, have been put under constant surveillance. The investigating officers of the case have said that despite questioning the trio’s relatives, the three are untraceable.

The three wanted accused were present at the restaurant at the time of the incident, but escaped the spot after the fire broke out , a police officer said. The police said they have launched a manhunt for the three and also sent a look out notice for the three. “Two teams of officers are monitoring and tracing the locations of the accused,” said inspector Sangram Pache from the NM Joshi Marg police station.

The police said they have recorded the statements of around 27 people who were eyewitnesses of the fire. “We will record more statements as we are searching for more witnesses in connection with the incident,” said an officer.

The Sanghvi brothers, Mankar and others were booked under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Meanwhile, based n the complaint of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday the NM Joshi Marg police registered three fresh police complaints against the two rooftop restobars, 1Above and Mojo Bistro, in Kamala Mills, and P22, a pub, in nearby Raghuvanshi Mills, for unauthorised construction.

Following the BMC’s complaint, the NM Joshi Marg police registered three cases under sections of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act. The civic body has accused Mojo Bistro of illegal construction of a shed. Its owners Yug Pathak and Nagpur-based Yug Tulli have been booked. 1Above owners were booked for buidling a shed while constructing two rooms covered with asbestos sheets. “We are awaiting the documents related to this case from the BMC to begin investigations,” said an official from NM Joshi Marg police station.