Bengaluru, 17 Aug

Owner of the building in Nagarthapet and his son were arrested in connection with the devastating fire that broke out in a plastic articles manufacturing unit near KR Market here, killing five people, including a family of four, police said on Sunday.

Police arrested building owner Balakrishnayya Shetty and his son Sandeep Shetty, after registering a case against them for unauthorised construction, absence of safety measures, and negligence in implementing firesafety precautions.

The blaze, which erupted around 2.30 am on Saturday in the ground-floor warehouse, quickly spread to the upper floors. Most occupants managed to escape, but one family was trapped inside and perished.

Police have identified the victims as Madan Singh (38) and Sangeetha (33) and their two children Mithesh (7) and Vihaan (5) and their neighbour, Suresh Kumar (26).

Madan Singh was a native of Rajasthan and had been renting the building for nearly 10 years.

He ran a small manufacturing unit that made plastic kitchen items as well as mats and steel kitchen utensils. He was residing on the top floor of the building.

Halasuru Gate Police took the father-son duo into custody for questioning.