A huge quantity of inflammable material was found in the premises of the factory in Delhi's Alipur "where 11 people died in a fire" posing a risk to human life, according to the FIR registered on the incident.
The son of the factory owner was being questioned in the case as the owner was also killed in Thursday's fire, it said. The FIR, a copy of which is with PTI also, said the factory had multiple machines and iron drums, which were later found in a burnt state. At least 11 people "the factory owner and 10 workers" died and four others were injured in a fire that broke out in a paint factory in outer Delhi’s Alipur area on Thursday evening.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in a statement, has said the building in which the fire broke out was being used illegally for the purpose of mixing chemical paint. The police said that all the eleven deceased have been identified by their family members. "Eight dead bodies were handed over to their families after identification on Friday. Three more are identified on Saturday," a police officer said. Ram Pravesh (18), Kripa Shanaker (42) and Harish Chandra Yadav (59) were identified on Saturday.
The FIR which is registered on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Anil Kumar from Alipur Police Station said that he along with head constables Subhash Singh and Sanjeet and a constable Karambir, immediately reached the spot. When they reached the spot, the factory and nearby houses were under the blaze. They also heard multiple explosions during the rescue operation, the FIR said. Constable Karambir was injured while rescuing the people, it said.
"After the fire stopped, the crime team was called for inspection. The factory had many machines and iron drums which were found in burnt state," the FIR said. It said the factory owner had collected inflammable material in a huge quantity posing a risk to human life. A police officer said since the owner Ashok Kumar Jain, 62, himself died in the fire, his son Akhil Jain is being interrogated. He has been asked to provide the required documents related to the factory, which has been running since 2017.
The police said that they will also conduct the audit on other factories running in the locality of Dayal Market of Alipur area. The audit will be related to checking the documents and other required certificates, an official said. Locals have claimed that there were over 100 factories producing chocolates, slippers and paint illegally running in the area.
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