Delhi's Alipur fire probe: Two, including factory owner's son, arrested

Days after 11 people died in a fire at a paint factory here, two persons, including the factory owner's son, were arrested in connection with the incident on Saturday, police said.

The accused have been identified as Akhil Jain (37), the son of factory owner Ashok Jain, who died in the fire, and Rajrani, who owns the land on which the factory was situated, they said.

Besides Ashok Jain, 10 workers died in the fire that broke out in the factory in outer Delhi's Alipur area on the evening of February 15.

The fire was preceded by a blast and soon it spread to nearby buildings, including a drug rehabilitation centre and eight shops.

According to the FIR registered in the matter, a huge quantity of inflammable material was found inside the factory.

Earlier, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had said that the building where the fire broke out was being used illegally for the purpose of mixing chemical paint.

The FIR was registered on a complaint by Sub-Inspector Anil Kumar of Alipur police station.

Kumar reached the spot along with Head Constables Subhash Singh and Sanjeet, and Constable Karambir and saw that the factory and nearby houses were on fire. The police personnel also heard multiple explosions during the rescue operation, stated the FIR, a copy of which is with PTI.

Constable Karambir was injured during the rescue operation, it said.

"After the fire was doused, the crime team was called for an inspection. The factory had many machines and iron drums which were found burnt," it said.

The factory owner had collected a huge quantity of inflammable material, posing a risk to human life, it added.

A police officer said since the factory owner died in the fire, his son Akhil Jain was interrogated and asked to submit documents related to the factory, which was running since 2017.

Akhil Jain and Rajrani, the owner of the plot on which the factory was situated, have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said.

The bodies of all the 11 people who died in the fire have been identified and handed over to their family members after post-mortem examination, police said.

"Eight bodies were handed over to the families after identification on Friday. The remaining three were identified on Saturday," a police officer said.

Police said they will also conduct an audit of other factories running in Alipur's Dayal market, an official said.

Locals claim that over 100 factories manufacturing chocolates, slippers and paint are running illegally in the area.