Bangladesh police arrest owners of fire-hit high-rise building, to file murder charges

by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of Thursday's massive high-rise fire that has left 26 people dead and scores of others injured, two of the owners of the BUILDING were arrested on Sunday, an official said.

A team of Detective Branch (DB) of Bangladesh police arrested SMHI Faruque, 65, the BUILDING's land owner, and Tasvir Ul Islam, 62, one of the owners of the high rise, in the capital Dhaka early Sunday, said the DB official who declined to be named.

The duo were detained in connection with a case filed with over Thursday's devastating blaze at the FR Tower that killed 26 people and left some 70 injured.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's official news portal reported that the case was filed Saturday against land owner Faruque, Liakat Ali Khan Mukul, 57, chairman of the builder company, and Tasvir and others who were part of the high-rise's management committee.

Officials said the faulty 22-storey FR Tower that housed dozens of office had no permission for its top four floors.

There was also reportedly shortage of fire safety equipment inside the BUILDING.

The collapsible gate of the BUILDING's emergency exit was shut hindering the rescue efforts. And the staircase was also narrow, according to the investigators.

It was not yet clear what caused the fire in the Dhaka's upmarket Banani. The Bangladeshi government has ordered an investigation.

Authorities in Bangladesh said they would file murder charges against several people for their roles in FR Tower mismanagement leading to a massive fire.

Bangladeshi Public Works and Housing Minister SM Rezaul Karim has labeled the deaths of the FR Tower fire victims as murder, saying "We'll go tough against those responsible."

In Bangladesh, poorly constructed BUILDINGs have long been the source of various accidents, resulting in the death of hundreds.

The high-rise tragedy was the second deadly fire striking Dhaka this year after a blaze ripped through several BUILDINGs in old Dhaka, killing at least 81 people on Feb. 21.

On Saturday morning a fire gutted hundreds of shops at a kitchen market in Dhaka's Gulshan area, destroying goods and property.

The fire originated at about 5:00 a.m. local time in the DNCC market, housing some 350 shops, a fire service official told Xinhua.

According to the official, the blaze destroyed at least 300 shops in the market complex where groceries and other kitchen goods are sold.

On Jan. 3, 2017, a devastating fire razed much of this market to rubble.

In the past decade, a series of fire incidents claimed many lives in Bangladesh.

A major blaze in old Dhaka scorched six BUILDINGs, killing at least 124 people in June 2010.