Secunderabad: On Monday late night, a fire broke out in the Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel located close to the Secunderabad Railway Station. As per the police reports, the fire might have started from an electric scooter that was being charged in the basement. The Secunderabad Police arrested the two owners of the hotel and cashier of Ruby Motor’s late yesterday evening. The two accused are still absconding.
All 8 victims died due to suffocation. Telangana Home Minister, M M Ali, has announced a help of ₹3,00,000 each to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the incident and offered his condolences. He also announced a Rs. 2 lakh compensation to be paid to the next of kin and Rs. 50000 to injured in the accident.
An electric 2-wheeler showroom is located in the cellar of the hotel building. “A study of the footage obtained from them after the mishap pointed out the origin of the fire and it appears that the smoke first emerged from an e-bike kept for charging,” said Chandana Deepthi, deputy commissioner of police, North Zone, Hyderabad.
Moreover, the police also await the reports from the electric department, the fire department, and the forensic team to figure out the exact cause of the fire.
According to the police, four commercial gas cylinders were found leaking in the cellar. Additionally, 28 electric two-wheelers, eight petrol bikes, several generators, and open batteries were completely dismantled in the incident.
DCP Chandana also said that four of the five accused, including the hotel owner, were arrested on Wednesday and presented before the court which put them in 14-day judicial custody.