Santacruz fire: workshop owner held

Mumbai: The Santacruz police on Friday arrested the owner of the garments workshop, which caught fire in the early hours of Thursday, leading to the death of one of his employees and injuring another. Two workers were asleep when the fire broke out at 6.30 a.m. in the workshop at Khotwadi, Santacruz. One of them, Jayesh Ramji, died of burns, while the other, Mahesh Narayan, sustained injuries.

The owner, Karsa Sanda (40), was arrested after investigations revealed that he had not followed any fire safety norms. “Mr. Sanda had not obtained a no-objection certificate from the fire department. Other requisite documents were also missing. Further, the workers should not have been allowed to sleep in the space where flammable materials were stored,” an officer with Santacruz police station said.

Senior police inspector Shantanu Pawar, Santacruz police station, said, “We have booked the accused for causing death and injury due to negligence under the Indian Penal Code. Inquiries are on to ascertain the cause of the fire, and we are also investigating the extent of his negligence.” Mr. Sanda was produced in court on Friday afternoon and remanded in judicial custody.