Delhi fire: Owner of the factory arrested after blaze kills 17
The Delhi police on Sunday morning arrested Manoj Jain, the owner of the firecracker factory in Bawana Industrial area where 17 people died a day earlier after a fire broke out in the building.
The owner, Manoj Jain will soon be produced before the District Magistrate (DM) at Rohini Court. Commenting on the arrest of the factory owner, the police said that Manoj had been operating the factory since January 1.
Probe committee formed. Strict action will be taken after we receive report. I don't think license is provided for fire cracker factories in Delhi. If this indeed was a cracker factory, it's wrong that an illegal factory was being run.: Satyendar Jain, Delhi Minister #BawanaFire pic.twitter.com/oGDEdlq0sr
— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2018
No knowledge. We will have to look into its Trade License. Better information can be obtained from Licensing Authority: GC Mishra, Director, Delhi Fire Services on licensing of the factory in Delhi's Bawana where a fire broke out yesterday claiming 17 lives #BawanaFire pic.twitter.com/d9p2TKtW0E
— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2018
In all probability it was a recently constructed building. Area was made only for plastic factory. Only a probe will say if this factory received an NOC certficate The activity undergoing here falls under high hazard category.: GC Mishra, Director Delhi Fire Services #BawanaFire pic.twitter.com/UFLIPRlLh8
— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2018
During the investigation, the Delhi police found that he is the sole owner of the firecracker factory.
Earlier, the massive fire that broke out in Delhi's Bawana industrial area on Saturday evening caused the deaths of 17 people, including 10 women.
Two people, however — a man and women — miraculously managed to escape after they jumped off the terrace of the third-floor building.
The two suffered injuries, and have been admitted to hospital.
The Delhi Fire Service received a call about the fire at the factory around 6.20 pm and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the fire department said, adding the blaze has been brought under control.
G C Mishra, Director, Delhi Fire Service, said the fire was doused by 9.20 pm but search and rescue operations continued. "We are taking no chance. We don't have a definite number of people who were in the building when the fire broke out," he said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was attacked by the opposition for visiting the site almost five hours after the fire began, has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The factory owner had a licence to run a plastic factory but was instead running a firecracker storage unit, news reports earlier quoted the police as saying.