A reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced to anyone providing information about the whereabouts of the co-owners of '1 Above' pub – Kripesh Mansukhlal Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar – in the Kamala Mills compound, a Mumbai Police spokesperson said on Friday, 5 January.
The three pub owners have been absconding ever since a fire in their pub claimed 14 lives on 29 December.
Wanted posters of 1 Above owners, who are accused in the Kamala Mills fire, pasted on their residential building gate in Mazgaon.
(Photo: ANI)
An offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Sections 304, 337, 338, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them at the NM Joshi Marg police station following the incident.
An official said that police teams were trying to track the three – and a lookout notice has been issued.
Relative of ‘1 Above’ Owner Writes to PM Modi, Demands CBI Enquiry
A relative of the 1 Above co-owners – the two Sanghvi brothers – wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind earlier this week demanding a CBI enquiry.
Aditya Sanghavi reportedly claimed that the fire broke out from two other restaurants – and not from ‘1 Above’ as was believed. A preliminary probe by the Mumbai fire brigade revealed that the fire probably started from Mojo’s Bistro.
The police on Wednesday, 3 January, had recorded the statement of Ramesh Govani, the owner of Kamala Mills compound, an official said.
Govani has been accused of violating the norms of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act.
Yug Pathak, the co-owner of the Mojo's Bistro pub and son of a retired IPS officer, was also questioned by a team of the NM Joshi Marg police.
1 Above Managers in Custody
Two managers of the ‘1 Above’ pub were arrested in connection with Kamala Mills fire tragedy, police said on 1 January.
Gibson Lopez (34) and Kevin Bawa (35) were arrested by a team of sleuths from the NM Joshi Marg police station. They were produced in front of a local court, which remanded them in police custody till 9 January, reports PTI.
Managers Lopez and Bawa were present in the pub when the blaze occurred in the early hours of 29 December. Lopez and Bawa fled without helping the guests, a police official said.
Lopez and Bawa 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) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), the police said.
After Tragedy, Over 600 Illegal Structures Razed Down by BMC
Illegal constructions and alterations at over 355 establishments were razed in Mumbai on Sunday, 31 December, as the civic body continued to demolish these structures at hotels and restaurants, after a blaze at an upscale pub claimed 14 lives on 29 December.
With Sunday’s demolitions, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has so far razed over 600 such structures since the crackdown began, an official of the civic body said.
BMC officials inspected 616 establishments and initiated action against 355 hotels, restaurants and pubs for the illegalities, said Ram Dotonde, media adviser to the BMC commissioner.
A release from the BMC said 426 LPG cylinders were also seized from various eateries for violation of norms related to their use and storage or construction of kitchens among other reasons.
We want to remove every unauthorised structure at the restaurants, pubs, malls, food joints, other eateries and hotels. We are asking the managers and owners of such properties to remove those on their own or else, we will bring such structures down.Ram Dotonde, media dvisor to BMC commissioner
Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta had earlier instructed all the assistant and deputy municipal commissioners to form teams to inspect restaurants to ensure fire norms compliance and also to make sure that these establishments had their exit points, staircases and open spaces free from any encroachments.
(With inputs from ANI, IANS and PTI)
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT in partnership with #MyRightToBreathe to find a solution to pollution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)