Armanitola fire: 2 warehouse owners on 3-day remand

A Dhaka court today placed two persons on a three-day remand each in a case filed over the devastating fire at an unauthorised chemical warehouse that killed six people in old Dhaka's Armanitola on Friday.

The accused are: Mostafizur Rahman and Mohammad Mostafa.

Mostafizur Rahman was arrested in Nandigram of Bogura while Mohammad Mostafa in the capital's Uttara early yesterday.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Sufiyan Md Noman passed the order after Mir Rezaul Islam, an inspector of Bangshal Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case, produced them before his court with a 10-day remand prayer.

In the remand prayer, the IO said the accused stored chemicals and flammable goods at their warehouse in Haji Musa Mansion even though they did not have any permission.

So, they need to be remanded to gather information about whereabouts of other accused including the building owner responsible for committing such offences, the IO added.

On the other hand, defence for the accused, submitted petitions seeking bail along with cancellation of the remand prayer.

Upon hearing both the sides, the magistrate turned down the defence pleas and placed them on a three-day police remand.

Both of them are FIR-named accused in the case filed by Bangshal police against eight named and 15 to 20 unnamed people.

Both of them admitted storing chemicals and highly flammable goods at their warehouse in Haji Musa Mansion, the six-storey building which caught fire.