'hotel Owner Arrived, Stood for 15 minutes, Then fled spot'
NEW DELHI, June 5 -- Lavkesh Bajaj, the owner of the Flourish Stay B&B where a fire killed 21 people, arrived at the scene while the blaze was raging, and stood there for about 10-15 minutes before disappearing, a local resident said on Thursday.
Mohammed Wasim, 37, a resident, said he reached the spot around 8.30am and saw smoke billowing from the building. "I called Bajaj at 8:52am and spoke for 26 seconds. I told him the fire was massive. He said he knew. I asked him to come and then hung up," Wasim said.
Bajaj, he said, arrived about 10 minutes later. "I saw him standing in a white T-shirt. I was busy with rescue operations, so I didn't talk to him, but I know he stayed there for 10-15 minutes," Wasim added.
While Bajaj owned the B&B, his manager Jay Mishra was listed as the owner on the licence and was mandated to stay at the establishment.
Police said Mishra - mentioned in court documents as an "accountant" - is absconding along with another man identified as Rakesh. A Delhi court on Thursday sent Bajaj to four-day police custody....
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