Mumbai: Police on Monday arrested two managers of the upscale ‘1 Above’ pub, where a fire claimed 14 lives last week, over allegations that they fled without helping the guests and have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The arrests took place even as the city civic body continued its crackdown on illegal constructions at hotels, restaurants and commercial establishments for the fourth day on Monday. The massive fire that swept through the pub located at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area here on December 29 also left 21 injured.
Gibson Lopez (34) and Kevin Bawa (35) were arrested by a team of sleuths from the N M Joshi Marg police station, a police official said. Both Lopez and Bawa were working as managers at the pub.
They were present in the pub when the blaze occurred in the early hours of December 29, the official said, and alleged that they fled without helping the guests.
“We have arrested both the managers,” senior police inspector Ahmad Pathan said.
They have been booked under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), he said. The punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder may extend up to 10 years or be a life term.
The two were produced in a local court, which remanded them in police custody till January 9.
However, the main accused of the case – the pub owners – are still at large. Police have sent their teams to various places in Maharashtra and also outside the state to nab the main accused, he said.
Police had booked the pub owners, Hitesh Sanghvi and Jigar Sanghvi, co-owner Abhijeet Manka and others on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
According to the official, police also have issued look out notice against the main accused.
The police on Sunday arrested two persons for allegedly providing shelter to the pub owners. Sanghvi brothers’ uncle Rakesh Sanghvi and cousin Aditya Sanghvi were arrested while a search was on for another relative Mahendra Sanghvi, according to Avinash Shingthe, senior police inspector, Byculla.
Rakesh and Aditya were produced later before a court in Bhoiwada which granted them bail on a bond of Rs 25,000 each.
