Bengaluru e-scooter store fire: Owner, manager arrested

A day after the fire accident at My EV Store, an electric scooter showroom, killing a 26-year-old accountant, the Rajajinagar police arrested the owner and the manager of the store for causing death due to negligence.

The accused have been identified as Puneeth Gowda, 36, a resident of Yeshwantpur and the owner of the store, and Yuvraja, 37, a resident of Rajajinagar and the store manager. They were produced before the court and released on conditional bail.

Based on the complaint by the victim’s brother, the duo was booked under Section 106 (death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023.

It is now suspected that the fire broke out in the store due to an electric short circuit while charging an electric battery. There were six employees in the store, and five ran out to safety, even as Priya, 26, ran into a cabin, suffocating to death. 

Fire and Emergency Services personnel said there was no adequate fire fighting equipment at the store, and the owner and manager did not provide any training to staffers on how to safeguard themselves in the eventuality of a fire, which could have saved lives.

Published - November 20, 2024 10:21 pm IST