Two days after a blaze at the under-construction Prarthana building in Juhu, the police have arrested three people, including the building contractor, site supervisor and site engineer
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Two days after a blaze at the under-construction Prarthana building in Juhu, the police have arrested three people, including the building contractor, site supervisor and site engineer. The blaze killed seven people and has left 17 injured, many of whom are battling for their lives. The labourers were cramped in matchbox-style houses, leaving no chance of escape.
The trio — contractor Kiran Patel, site engineer Shiju John, site supervisor Prashant More — was arrested under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337, 338 (endangering life), 285 (negligent conduct) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
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Sunil Ghosalkar, senior inspector of Juhu police station, said, "Three accused were arrested on Friday and further investigations are underway."
On Wednesday night, around 10 pm, the police control room had received a call about a blast and fire at Prarthana building. At the time of the incident, there were at least 30 labourers present inside the structure. Fortunately, most of them managed to escape. Among the deceased are two girls, aged 12 and 3. The death toll rose to seven yesterday, after one of the injured labourers, identified as William Toppi, succumbed to his burns. There are 11 others currently undergoing treatment at Cooper Hospital, of which three are in a serious condition, with over 40 per cent burns.
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A police officer said the statements of the victims and eyewitnesses have been recorded. A brief inquiry with the arrested accused was conducted, following which they were arrested.