Mojo's second co-owner, Yug Tuli, remanded to police custody

Yug Tuli (centre, in striped tee) had surrendered on Tuesday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Yug Tuli, the second co-owner of Mojo's Bistro, which is at the centre of the Kamala Mills fire, was sent in police custody on Tuesday afternoon. Tuli had surrendered to the NM Joshi police around 6 am yesterday after a court rejected his anticipatory bail application (ABA). Prior to the order, speaking about Tuli the police said in court, "According to the fire department's report, the fire began from Mojo's and Tuli is the one who holds the operational powers of the restaurant."

Cops also alleged Tuli was the one who had managed to get all the required licenses for Mojo's and built the illegal construction. He had even given the hookah department the responsibility to have another party on a sub-contract basis. He'd signed on that contract too. While defence advocate Shyam Dewani agreed Tuli had signed the hookah department contract, he denied Tuli was absconding prior to his arrest, "When Tuli was summoned for the first time in the MRTP case, he came to the police station and submitted all related documents and licenses. Nothing has been hidden and he was not absconding; he was waiting for an ABA order. When it was rejected, he surrendered."

However, cops insisted, "While he was absconding, we looked for him at various places, but he did not cooperate with us at any point." Following these arguments, the court sent him in police custody till January 20. Tuli was allegedly absconding since the fire department submitted their report to the Mumbai police. Cops also followed him from Mumbai to Hyderabad, but he had managed to escape there too.