Hotel Arpit Palace owner lands from Qatar into jail

| | NEW DELHI
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Hotel Arpit Palace owner lands from Qatar into jail

Monday, 18 February 2019 | Staff Reporter | NEW DELHI

Hotel Arpit Palace owner  lands from Qatar into jail

Five days after a fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh left 17 dead, the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested its owner Rakesh Goel after he landed in New Delhi from Qatar on Saturday late night.

According to Rajesh Deo, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime Branch, they had received a tip-off that Goel, who founded Hotel Arpit Palace in 1993, was travelling to Delhi from Qatar by IndiGo flight 6E 1702.

“A lookout circular (LOC) had already been issued on Thursday and Goel was detained upon arrival in Delhi and handed over to the Crime Branch officials. Goel was arrested after brief questioning,” said the DCP.

Delhi Police produced Goel in court on Sunday. “The court has sent Goel to two-day police custody. Besides Goel, two people have been arrested so far — hotel general manager Rajendra Kumar (47) and assistant manager Vikas Kumar (21). The court on Sunday also extended their police custody for two more days,” said the DCP.

“A LOC has also been issued against the owner’s elder brother Shardendu Goel, who is still absconding. It has been found that all licences of the hotel were in Shardendu’s name,” said a senior police official.

Tragic death of 17 people took place in Hotel Arpit Palace fire on Tuesday. According to forensic experts, the fire started in room number 109 of Hotel Arpit Palace probably due to the air-conditioner switched on by a couple due to lack of ventilation. “As it is winter, the AC was probably not serviced and there was a short-circuit, which led to the fire,” said a forensic expert.

In its FIR, the Delhi Police mentioned some of the shortcomings were two kitchens in the basement and terrace, no smoke alarms, no signage directing guests to the emergency exit and obstruction on the way to the exit.

Taking a strong note over the incident, the Delhi Government had cancelled fire safety certificates of more than 70 hotels in Karol Bagh areas in last three days for flouting laid down norms. The Government had issued instructions to municipal corporations and police asking them to seal these establishments in the wake of violations of fire safety norms.

 

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