The Lucknow Police on Monday arrested four persons in connection with a fire in the city’s Aliganj area in which 15 persons were killed, The Times of India reported.

The police have filed a first information report against six named persons and several unidentified individuals. The two other named persons accused in the matter are absconding and efforts are underway to arrest them, the newspaper quoted the police as saying.

The fire erupted in a building that housed a pet shop-cum-clinic, a library and a gaming studio.

Those arrested have been identified as Ramakrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, Tushok Krishna Jaiswal and Suresh Kumar Sahu.

Upadhyay owned the pet shop, Shukla owned the building, Jaiswal owned a game development office there and Sahu had rented the upper portion of the structure, The Times of India reported.

The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash acts endangering human life, and under the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act.

The case will be handled by a Special Investigation Team, which has been directed to submit its findings within seven days, the newspaper reported.

The Uttar Pradesh government also suspended four persons in connection with the fire, PTI reported.

They are Gaurav Kumar, an executive engineer for collection at the electricity department, Indira Nagar Fire...

Read more