Four suspects in Secunderabad fire accident case in judicial custody

HYDERABAD: Four of the five persons, charged under different sections of the IPC, in the fire mishap at Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel in Secunderabad on Monday were arrested by the Market Police on Wednesday.

The police said on Wednesday that more than seven people jumped out of the hotel's windows to escape the fire. The police, fire fighters, and others were able to save the lives of 17 people by getting them out in time, thanks to the assistance of a few residents.

Those admitted to hospitals had suffered internal injuries as well as burns. They also inhaled toxic smoke. Eight people died as a result of toxic smoke inhalation and subsequent unconsciousness.

The police detected 28 electric bikes, eight gas bikes, generators, and open batteries being fully charred. The rooftop kitchen was connected to four commercial gas cylinders that were put in the cellar and were found to be leaking.

The police initiated a detailed inquiry into the accident under Sections 304 Part-II, 324 IPC, and Sec.9(b) of the Explosives Act. An autopsy was conducted on all eight bodies and were handed over to their families.

The police said the main suspect Ranjeeth Singh owned the building, and his two sons Suneet and Supreet Singh were in-charge of the hotel, the e-bike store, and the financing for two-wheelers. The fourth accused, Naridla Sudarshan Naidu, is the manager of Ruby Lodge, while Jaspal Singh Gulati works as a cashier at Ruby Electric Scooters.

The building is equiped with 32 channel DVR CCTV cameras, of which 25 were operational and following the event; some of them were pointing to the source of the fire. The smoke appeared to have come from an e-bike that was being charged. However, reports from the fire department, the electricity department, the FSL, and other agencies were awaited in order to determine the exact cause of the fire.

The accused violated safety regulations by operating an e-bike business and charging batteries, which was a prima facie evidence that they caused the incident. The misuse of parking spaces, as well as the lack of all necessary permits for the hotel building and e-bike shop, were the main failures in the horrifying tragedy. The arrested persons were sent to judicial custody.