Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police probing the fire incident at a multi-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street in Central Kolkata, which claimed nine lives, has arrested one person, said officials on Thursday.

Each floor of the said building had separate hotels or guesthouses, and the source of the fire was one such hotel, “Shikha Inn”. The person arrested by the city police this morning has been identified as Abu Zafar, who had taken the hotel on lease from the original owner, Bireshwar Mitra.

Zafar was arrested from his residence in Jorasanko, North Kolkata. He will be presented at a city court later in the day, and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody.

Mitra, the original owner of the hotel, is still absconding. Besides arresting Zafra, the members of the SIT have detained two other persons, reportedly staff of the hotel, for questioning. However, the city police are yet to disclose their identities.

The State Fire Services Department has issued show-cause notices to nine other hotels and four restaurants on Mirza Ghalib Street for non-compliance with safety regulations. They have been asked to respond within the next 24 hours.

The five-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street housed multiple hotels and guesthouses, with each having shacks. Hotel ‘Shikha Inn’ was on the third floor of the same building, covering an area of ​​1,100 square feet.

There had been numerous allegations of irregularities at this hotel. The hotel caught fire late Tuesday night. Nine people lost their lives in the fire.

The West Bengal government has announced a detailed special audit of all hotels, lodges and guesthouses in the Mirza Ghalib Street area following the incident.

The New Market Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the building falls, has registered a suo motu case. The State Fire Services Department has also lodged a separate complaint.

Mumbai: In a major action against child labour, the Charkop Police raided an imitation jewellery manufacturing unit in Kandivali West and rescued 13 minors, Mumbai police officials said on Thursday.

The rescued children are reportedly between 13 and 17 years of age.

Mumbai Police conducted the operation at a unit identified as ‘Jhahara Fashion Era’, located in the Charkop Industrial Estate. According to preliminary investigations, minors were allegedly employed at the facility to manufacture imitation jewellery and bangles.

The police said the children were allegedly made to work for nine to 10 hours a day and were not paid adequate wages. All 13 children reportedly hail from different districts of West Bengal.

Investigators also uncovered another disturbing detail during the raid: The children were living at the workplace itself. The owner and operator of the unit reportedly failed to produce valid documents verifying the ages of the children.

The police have detained the unit’s owner, Ankit Kumar Mahendra Rawal, and its operator, Saminur Motiyar Rahman Shaikh. A case has been registered against both under relevant provisions of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

Following the rescue, the 13 minors were handed over to the department concerned for further care and necessary action.

The police are now investigating who was responsible for bringing the children from West Bengal to Mumbai and whether a larger network involved in child labour is operating behind the racket.

Under Indian law, the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, which was amended in 2016, prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in all occupations and processes, subject to certain exceptions, including helping in non-hazardous family enterprises after school hours or during vacations.

The law also prohibits adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 from working in hazardous occupations and processes.

Children are permitted to assist their families or family enterprises only under specific conditions, provided the work is non-hazardous and does not adversely affect their education.

Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibits the employment of children in factories, mines and other hazardous occupations, while Article 21A guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the ages of six and 14.

Bengaluru: At least five people were killed and more than 23 others injured in two separate road accidents reported in Haveri and Mandya districts of Karnataka on Thursday.

In a separate incident in Udupi district, seven passengers had a narrow escape after a private bus caught fire near Brahmavar town in Udupi district.

Three people were killed and three others critically injured after a car rammed into a parked truck near Chalageri Cross on the outskirts of Ranebennur town in Haveri district in the early hours of Thursday.

The deceased have been identified as Siddharth, 27, Hasanmukhi, 29, and Yashoda Bai, 51. All three were residents of Davanagere city. The injured — Soundarya, Sindhu and one-year-old Kashvasri — were shifted to a private hospital in Davanagere for treatment.

According to preliminary information, the car was travelling from Ranebennur towards Davanagere when it collided with the parked truck. The Ranebennur Rural police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Further details are awaited.

In another accident, two people were killed and 20 others injured after a private sleeper bus overturned near Bellur Toll in Mandya district.

The accident occurred on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway after the bus reportedly hit a roadside signboard and overturned. Police suspect that overspeeding may have led to the accident. The injured were shifted to Bellur town hospital for treatment. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.

Meanwhile, seven passengers escaped unhurt after a private bus caught fire near Brahmavar in Udupi district.

The bus was travelling from Udupi towards Sagar when smoke was noticed inside the vehicle. The fire subsequently broke out in the electrical box and began spreading.

The conductor immediately stopped the bus and evacuated all seven passengers, averting a possible tragedy. Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Udupi rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze.

Further details regarding the cause of the fire are awaited.