Kamala Mills fire: On the run for 12 days, '1Above' pub owners, Jigar Sanghvi, Kripesh Sanghvi, arrested

Absconding for over 12 days, Jigar Sanghvi and Kripesh Sanghvi — 1Above pub co-owners wanted in connection with the 29 December Kamala Mills fire which claimed 14 lives — were arrested on Wednesday, police said. The Sanghvi brothers, who were on the run since the incident, were arrested from Link Road, Bandra West in Mumbai, reported  The Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_4280773” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] 14 people died in the Kamala Mills fire. AFP[/caption] The police had on Tuesday arrested Vishal Karia , a hotelier, for allegedly giving shelter to the Sanghvi brothers and Abhijeet Mankar - owners of the 1Above pub. “Vishal Karia, who owns hotels and pubs in the city, was placed under arrested after a team of NM Joshi Marg Police picked him for questioning,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Akhilesh Mishra told PTI. During the investigation, it came to light that 42-year-old Karia sheltered Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar—the three owners of 1 Above pub—at his residence, he said. Police recovered a high-end car of Mankar, which was found parked at Karia’s place, he said. Mankar is still absconding. “During interrogation, Karia had revealed that he had advised the absconding accused to seek legal help from a prominent lawyer. Following the lead, a team was kept stationed near the lawyer’s residence. Between 11 pm and 11.30 pm on Wednesday, the two brothers were apprehended near Link Road in Bandra. The team was waiting in a car and after spotting the duo crossing the road, a few officials chased and caught them,” a senior officer told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity. The police also added that they suspect the Sanghvi brothers have information about Mankar’s whereabouts as well. The trio have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code. The police had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information about their whereabouts. A Bhoiwada sessions court on Tuesday sent managers of Kamala Mills pub 1Above, Kevin Bawa and Lisbon Lopez to judicial custody till 22 January and adjourned the anticipatory bail application of Yug Tuli, owner of Mojo’s Bistro, till 11 January. On 6 January, Mumbai Police booked the owners of Mojo’s Bistro for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the fire, a day after a probe revealed that  the blaze started  from the high-end pub. A day later, Mojo’s Bistro owner  Tuli was sent to police custody  till 12 January by a Mumbai court. On 29 December, fire had swept through the 1Above and adjacent Mojo’s Bistro resto pub in Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai, resulting in the death of 14 people. With inputs from PTI