Kolkata: Bireshwar Mitra, owner of Shikha Inn, the lodge at Florence Mansion on Free School Street, where nine people died following a fire early on Wednesday, was arrested from the home of one of his employees in Behala on Saturday.Mitra, who owns two hotels on Free School Street and one each in Digha and Mandarmani, had been absconding since the fire. He had fled to Dhanbad in Jharkhand by his car and taken shelter in the homes of some of his employees there, said police, adding that after returning to Kolkata, he had put up at another employee’s house on Diamond Harbour Road, from where he was arrested.Detective department officers suspect Mitra was forced to return as he might have had run out of cash, his two bank accounts being frozen. But police are yet to confirm the circumstances that prompted his return. “His movements and those who helped him evade arrest are expected to emerge during interrogation,” said a senior Lalbazar officer. Mitra had switched off his mobile after speaking to an employee on Wednesday morning, hours after the fire, said police. Between Friday and Saturday, police interrogated six of his employees and raided his hotels in Digha and Mandarmani on Friday. One of his employees gave away his hideout and also tipped off police about his return to Kolkata, said an officer.
