Kamala Mills fire: No bail for managers of 1Above as cops might need them after Sanghvis’ arrest

If the two get bail, the Sanghvis might claim they are as innocent as the managers and might apply for anticipatory bail, said police.

The two managers of 1Above restaurant, Lisbon Lopez and Kevin Bawa, arrested in connection with the Kamala Mills fire were produced before the Bhoiwada court on Tuesday and have been were remanded in judicial custody till January 22.

If the two get bail, the Sanghvis might claim they are as innocent as the managers and might apply for anticipatory bail, said police. (FILE)

According to the public prosecutor, the police completed the questioning of the two men and did not want to question them any further. They told the magistrate that they would need the police custody of the two men after they arrest Kripesh and Jigar Sanghvi and their partner Abhijit Mankar, who own 1Above.

“It is possible that the Sanghvis might blame the managers for the deaths and claim they were not at the spot. In that case, we would need to question the Sanghvis in the presence of the managers,” said a police officer from NM Joshi Marg police station.

If the two get bail, the Sanghvis might claim they are as innocent as the managers and might apply for anticipatory bail, said police.

The lawyer for the managers, Vijay Thakur, said they have already moved their bail plea on the grounds that the police had competed their questioning and did not need the two. “The two managers helped people and rescued a few from the fire instead of running away. The staff members of 1Above who died in the fire were rushed by the two managers to the hospital,” claimed Thakur.

The lawyer, in the bail application, also claimed the two managers saw the Sanghvis at the spot on the night of the fire.

“We stay in America and did not even know that Kevin was working in this restaurant. Kevin was not a permanent employee and started to work there only two months ago,” said Kevin’s brother-in.

Meanwhile, the crime branch officers who are conducting a parallel investigation fear that the Sanghvis might have fled to Dubai through Nepal to stay with their father Mansukh who is an absconder in a hawala racket in Surat.

The police are now questioning the relatives of the Sanghvis The police on Monday night questioned Vishal Karia, one of the relatives of Sanghvi brothers, as their car was found in his possession.