Kolkata fire: Wow! Momo managers arrested; probe on, 27 missing

Two managers of a Wow! Momo outlet were arrested and given police custody following a deadly fire in Kolkata's Anandapur area. The investigation is ongoing, with 27 people reported missing and several confirmed dead in the warehouse blaze.

West Bengal's Baruipur Court on Friday granted six days police custody of Manager Raja Chakraborty and Deputy Manager Manoranjan Sheet, of the Wow! Momo outlet after they were arrested in connection with the devastating fire in Kolkata's Anandapur area.

Investigation Details Emerge

Police authorities said investigations are underway following the massive fire that broke out in the Anandapur area, leaving several people dead and many still unaccounted for.

According to Baruipur Police, a total of 21 samples have been sent for profiling, while reports of 27 people missing have been registered in connection with the incident. Police further said that three people have been arrested so far as the probe continues.

PM Modi Announces Compensation

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the fire mishap in Kolkata's Anandapur that broke out on Monday. He offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and announced ex gratia compensation for the victims' relatives.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister's Office said, "The recent fire mishap in Anandapur, West Bengal, is very tragic and saddening. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi."

BJP Protests, Demands Accountability

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari led a BJP protest rally over the Anandapur fire incident. Speaking during the protest, Adhikari said, "BJP is raising the public's voice...Till now, the people who have died in the incident or are missing were Hindus; they are not Mamata Banerjee's vote bank..."

The warehouse fire broke out in the early hours of Monday, triggering large-scale rescue and relief operations. Firefighting teams were rushed to the spot to contain the blaze, while police cordoned off the area to facilitate emergency response.

Earlier on Thursday, BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that Trinamool-sponsored Bangla Pakkho had claimed on social media that 50 people died in the warehouse fire. Sharing an X post on Wednesday, Malviya wrote, "Trinamool-sponsored Bangla Pakkho claimed on social media that 50 people have died in the devastating fire in Anandapur." Calling for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, he added, "Given the abysmal track record of her administration, it would be in the interest of justice to hand over the investigation to a Supreme Court-monitored SIT to thoroughly probe the tragic incident and fix accountability. She must also explain why her minister, Sujit Bose, failed to reach the accident site for nearly 32 hours. Such negligence is unacceptable." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)