Kolkata, 23 August (H.S.) : Police have arrested Bireswar Mitra, owner of Kolkata's Shikha Inn hotel, from his residence in Behala in connection with the deadly hotel fire that claimed nine lives.

A massive fire broke out late Tuesday night at Shikha Inn, located on Mirza Ghalib Street in the New Market area. Nine people died in the incident, eight of whom were reportedly Bangladeshi nationals. Following the tragedy, hotel owner Bireswar Mitra had allegedly gone missing.

Mitra reportedly operated two hotels in the New Market area — Shikha Inn and Japan. The two hotels are located in close proximity, with Japan situated directly opposite Shikha Inn.

According to hotel employee Indradev Paswan, around 3 am on Tuesday night, employees at Japan noticed flames rising from Shikha Inn. They immediately attempted to contact Mitra by phone, but he allegedly did not answer the call.

Police subsequently launched a search for the hotel owner. He was eventually arrested on Saturday from his residence on Diamond Harbour Road in Behala.

The investigation has also revealed that around five months ago, Mitra had reportedly leased one floor of Shikha Inn to a businessman identified as Abu Jafar. According to investigators, Jafar allegedly paid Mitra ₹40,000 per month under the lease arrangement.

Following the deaths in the fire, Abu Jafar also reportedly went missing from his residence on Madanmohan Burman Street in Jorasanko, Central Kolkata, along with his family. Police suspect that he may have been planning to flee to Uttar Pradesh with his family.

Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire and examining the alleged roles of the hotel owner, the lessee and other people associated with the property. Further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey