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THE POLICE have questioned officials of the company that supplied hookah to Mojo’s Bistro. This, after the fire department pointed out in its technical report that embers from the illegally served hookah at the resto-bar were possibly behind the blaze that killed 14 people at Kamala Mills compound on December 29. Meanwhile, during interrogation, arrested accused Yug Pathak, co-owner of Mojo’s Bistro and son of retired IPS officer KK Pathak, told the police that they had availed the services of a private person who helped them liaison with various government officials and secure permission from various civic departments.
“The company that supplied hookah to Mojo’s Bistro has been questioned. They have given us details of their contract and training imparted to staff who served hookahs,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity.
“Pathak claims that they (Pathak and co-owner Yug Tuli who is absconding) had assigned the task of procuring permission to an individual who was paid for his services. This person will soon be questioned to find out how the permissions were secured, whom he approached and if any bribe was paid,” added the official.
The police are piecing together how the fire spread to restaurant 1Above from Mojo’s Bistro. “We have questioned Mojo’s Bistro manager who told us that after he first spotted the fire on one of the curtains close to where hookah was served, he used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames but the blaze caught the adjoining curtain and in a few minutes spread like wildfire,” said another official who did not wish to be named. The police are in the possession of a mobile video showing the entire 1Above in flames, within 52 seconds.
The police probe also indicated that both 1Above and Mojo’s Bistro flouted norms. “Both the resto-bars were given permission for three to four tables. However, both had illegal seating arrangements including canopy, bar stool, sofas as seating options to patrons, in stark violation of rules,” added the official.
Sources added that in case of 1Above, the resto-bar had also illegally covered the open to air resto-bar with a roof and even erected a toilet, which turned into a death trap for the 14 victims.
“With the neighbouring residential buildings constantly complaining against 1Above for use of flashing lights and loud music, a few months after its inauguration in 2016, they put up a roof and made the rooftop resto-bar an enclosed establishment, against the sanctioned plan,” added the official.
Owners of 1Above and Mojo’s Bistro have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The police also booked Ramesh Govani, owner of Kamala Mills complex, Yug Tuli, co-owner of Mojo Bistro, Shailendra Singh, owner of P22 and Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar, the owners of 1Above under the Mumbai Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966 (MRTP) Act.
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