Mumbai rooftop pub fire kills 14
Mumbai: At least 14 people were killed, 21 others hurt when a major fire broke out in a pub in the Kamla Mills Compound here early on Friday, an official said.
The blaze was reported around 12.30 a.m. from a bistro The Mojo, a rooftop restaurant pub in The Kamla Trade House and quickly spread to another surrounding pub and a restaurant, said an official of BMC Disaster Control.
More than 12 fire tenders were rushed to fight the blaze which was brought under control around 6.30 a.m.
While the majority of the victims are reported to have perished on the spot, the firemen could rescue 10 others safely from the leaping flames. The injured have been admitted to the KEM Hospital and other hospitals for treatment.
The entire pub and the surrounding complex was full of patrons including many women and tourists thronging the fashionable area to unwind.
Mumbai Police have booked the owner of the pub for negligence and other charges for the fire, suspected to be triggered by an electric short-circuit.
There are many major corporate and media house offices situated in the posh Kamla Mills Complex whose working is likely to be affected on Thursday.
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
