Jabalpur: One of the four absconding doctors-cum-owners of the private hospital in Jabalpur where a devastating fire had claimed eight lives was arrested on Wednesday in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.
Dr Santosh Soni, having a 25 per cent partnership in the New Life Multi-speciality Hospital, was arrested from the Umaria district while the search for other doctors is on, said Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Siddharth Bahuguna.
team had earlier reported about the incident of a massive fire reported at New Life Multispeciality Hospital, the preliminary investigation revealed that the fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) had expired besides several shortcomings regarding fire safety at the hospital.
Also Read:Jabalpur Hospital Fire: Four Doctors booked under IPC 304 for Culpable Homicide as Hospital's fire NOC found expired
The fire broke out on the ground floor of the hospital around 4.30 p.m. and engulfed the entire three-storey building, several fire tenders had been rushed to the Hospital which eventually managed to bring the blaze under control.
The hospital's assistant manager Ram Soni had been arrested earlier.
Eight persons, including four patients, died in the blaze on Monday.
As per the preliminary investigation, the hospital had taken a provisional fire No Objection Certificate last March but its validity expired in March this year, he said.
"The hospital did not have adequate fire extinguishers as per the approved fire plan in the provisional fire NOC. There were no designated exit routes in case of emergency. Besides electrical safety audit was not conducted," he said.
Police had registered a case under sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code) against Dr Nishit Gupta, Dr Suresh Patel, Dr Sanjay Patel, Dr Santosh Soni and Assistant Manager of the hospital Ram Soni.
Also Read:MP: Massive fire at Jabalpur Hospital, 10 people charred to death