Indian police arrest 3 owners for deadly pub fire in Mumbai

NEW DELHI, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have finally arrested three owners of a pub in financial capital Mumbai, where a deadly midnight fire last month claimed the lives of at least 14 people and injured scores.

"While two owners of 1 Above rooftop restaurant, Jigar Sanghvi and Kripesh Sanghvi, were held late Wednesday night, the third owner, Abhijeet Mankar, was arrested early this morning," a senior police official said Thursday.

Just days back, the Mumbai Police had announced a bounty of 100,000 Indian rupees (1,500 U.S. dollars) on the heads of the trio who have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and were on the run since the fire on Dec. 29.

The blaze erupted at the 1 Above rooftop restaurant just after midnight at a building in the popular Kamala Mills shopping compound. Within minutes, the fire engulfed the entire structure, trapping many inside. Those who lost their lives included mostly women.

Police had earlier arrested two managers of the pub for fleeing the spot without helping customers who were trapped after the fire engulfed the pub-cum-eatery.

Fires are common in eateries and buildings in India, mainly because of lack of regards for safety norms and fire-fighting equipment like hosepipes and alarm systems. A number of lives are lost every year in fire incidents in this country. Enditem