Prime accused in Carlton fire tragedy surrenders after 17 days

Seventeen days after a fire broke out at Carlton Towers, causing the death of nine persons and injuring 60, the main accused in the case surrendered before the police along with two other accused persons. The three, who gave themselves up at the Jeevanbhimanagar police station on Friday, had been granted anticipatory bail on March 8.

Identifying the accused as Carlton Towers owner Anurag Jain, 55, Carlton Towers Owners’ Association joint secretary Sanjeev Madan, 58, and treasurer TG Mandanna ,45, police said that they had appeared at the police station with their lawyer around 10 am on Friday. They were arrested by the JB Nagar police and, later, released around 4.45 pm.  

Assistant commissioner of police (Ulsoor sub-division) BG Manjunath said the men had to appear before the investigating officer as per court orders. “We arrested the three under sections 304, 304 (a) and 338, and subjected them to an interrogation. They will return for another interrogation on Saturday,” he said. The three had moved anticipatory bail applications before the III fast track sessions court on February 25.

Though Jain initially refused to talk, he later refuted allegations that the building had violated any safety norms and insisted that he had not gone absconding. Stating that he was not responsible for the changes made to the building by the present owners, Jain said he was unaware who had blocked the exits in the building.

Besides a bail bond of Rs50,000 each, two solvent sureties were furnished for each of them before the JB Nagar police on Friday.