Mumbai Crystal Tower fire: Developer Abdul Razak Ismail Supariwala arrested

The Mumbai Police has arrested accused Abdul Razak Ismail Supariwala, the developer of Crystal Tower, after a fire incident on Wednesday gutted a floor of the residential building killing at least four people and injuring 22 others.

An FIR has been lodged under Section 304, 336, 337, 338 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3(3) of Maharashtra Fire Prevention & Life Safety Act 2006.

Crystal Tower is a 17-storey residential building in the posh Dadar area of Mumbai where nearly three dozen people were rescued from the building after the blaze erupted on the 12th floor, the fire department officials said.

The building does not have the mandatory Occupation Certificate granted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) but it was already occupied by about 58 flat owners, according to the civic body. The civic body had in October 2016 issued a notice to the builder and the 58 occupants to vacate the building within seven days but it was challenged in the court and is still sub-judice, the BMC said in a statement.

The fire department again declared the building unsafe today after the blaze and recommended disconnection of electricity and water supply. The department has also suggested to the police to file a case of criminal negligence against those responsible for allowing the occupants to live in an unsafe building.

The fire was reported at 8.32 am and was brought under control after about three hours, the fire department officials said. Some renovation work was underway on the affected floor but the exact reason for the blaze would be known only after a proper investigation, the officials said.

"Owing to smoke and heat, the occupants on upper floors got trapped and 30 to 35 were rescued by fire brigade using special appliances and firemen donning breathing apertures from staircase of the building," P S Rahangdale, the chief of the Fire Brigade said.

A 10-year-old school girl Zen Gunaratn Sadavarte displayed heroism and guided the stranded people on how to deal with suffocation.
Zen put to use the fire safety tips she had learnt during a school project in Class III, which ensured that her family and others remained safe until the arrival of fire brigade personnel. "Since the building was without OC, its firefighting system was not in the place," Rahangdale said.

Two bodies were recovered from a lift on the 12th floor, a fire brigade official said.

The deceased were identified as Shubhada Shelke (62), Bablu Sheikh (36), Ashoke Sampat and Sanjeev Nair.

Cranes were used to rescue the inmates trapped in the building.

In its notice issued on October 26, 2016, to the developer and architect, the BMC had said, "It has been occupied without having been certified as completed in accordance with MMC Act 1888.. And therefore, building be vacated within seven days and not to cause it to be reoccupied until it has duly certified.