Owner of Bhubaneswar’s SUM Hospital Manoj Naik arrested
BHUBNESHWAR : In Odisha, SUM hospital owner Manoj Nayak was arrested this morning after he surrendered before the Khandagiri police in in Bhubaneswar in connection with the fire mishap at his hospital which claimed 21 lives on Monday evening.
Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner YB Khurania said that Manoj is being interrogated by police. Both Manoj Nayak and his wife had been absconding since the mishap. Police had earlier issued a look out circular to prevent Manoj and his wife from fleeing the country.
“Within less than 48 hours of registration of FIR, we have been able to arrest five persons in connection with the fire tragedy. Four persons were forwarded to court on Wednesday. When it was felt that Mr. Nayak was evading arrest and not cooperating with investigation, look-out circular was issued against him,” said Y. B. Khurania, Commissioner of Police for Bhubaneswar-Cuttack here on Thursday.
“We had carried out raids at his residence and office on Wednesday night. Police seized many important documents. The series of actions forced him to surrender before police. Now, he is being interrogated. Interrogation will take some time,” said Mr. Khurania.
“As far as his wife is concerned, Saswati Das, who is also a trustee, against whom look-out circular was also issued, has not contacted us. During course of interrogation, we will ascertain her role in management of the hospital,” he said.
Commissioner of Police said, “we are currently studying the organisational structure of the SUM Hospital. All trustees and others, whose culpability will come to fore, will be summoned for questioning and their statements will be recorded.”
Mr. Khurania hinted at more arrests in connection. Dismissing allegations about slowing down of pace of investigation into the fire tragedy, he said there could not have been faster pace of probe. The case has been registered under section 304, 308, 285 and 34 IPC and if required, more sections would be added up.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine the financial transactions of his institutions. SIT Vice-Chairman Arijit Pasayat has directed the state DGP to extend all cooperation to the ED in its investigation with regard to the hospital’s financial transactions.
The state government has filed two FIRs and police have arrested four employees of the hospital in connection with the fire mishap.
