NEW DELHI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have arrested the owner of a shop which was caught fire in Mumbai Monday, claiming the lives of 12 people.
"Ramesh Bhanushali, the shop owner, has been arrested for running the establishment without any valid papers. He has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder," a senior police official said Tuesday.
The fire broke out at Bhanu Farsan shop on Khairani Road in Mumbai's Saki Naka-Kurla area Monday morning and it soon engulfed the huge stock of eatables and furniture, trapping several workers there.
The blaze spread very quickly and within minutes it gutted the entire shop and brought down its structure. While 12 people died on the spot, those injured were admitted to a hospital by firefighters and rescuers of the local civic body.
"A probe is still on," the official said.
Fires are common in India mainly because of lack for regards for fire safety equipment and adherence to basic fire safety norms.
