The Pune police have arrested the owner of a godown in Wagholi, where three workers were killed in a major blaze on May 5.
The godown owner, Ashish Agarwal (40), who allegedly made the workers live inside the facility, has been booked under IPC Section 304 (A) for causing death due to negligence and not taking any safety measures on the premises.
Three workers were killed in a fire that started around 11.30 pm on May 5 at the godown Shubh Sajawat, where decorative items were stored, in Wagholi’s Ubale Nagar area. At least a dozen fire tenders and additional water tankers from the Pune and PMRDA fire brigades were pressed into action to douse the blaze.
Four gas cylinders reportedly exploded inside the godown during the fire and three workers, who were living there, were killed. While two workers died of severe burns, the third victim drowned after he jumped into a water tank, possibly to save himself. The victims were identified as Kamal Bar (25), who drowned, and Bijan Patra (24) and Biswajeet Sen (27), who died of burns. The fire was brought under control before it could spread to a neighbouring facility that housed at least 400 cooking gas cylinders.
Following the initial probe, the police registered a suo motu FIR in the case at Lonikand police station on Tuesday afternoon based on a complaint filed by constable Dhananjay Gonge. “We have arrested the owner of the facility. Further investigation is on,” Senior Inspector Gajanan Pawar, in-charge of Lonikand police station, said.