JOIN USFinished sponge products, raw materials and other valuables worth over Rs one crore were gutted in an accidental fire in an industrial unit in the Gangammanagudi police limits on Friday night.
Five fire tenders and 50 firemen battled for more than five hours to douse the flames. There were no casualties, the police said.
Thick flames were noticed around 11:30 pm inside the unit manufacturing sponge materials used for vehicles. Electric short circuit caused the fire. A security guard switched off the UPS and rushed outside. The flames spread all over, as highly inflammable materials were stored, the police said.
The police have sought a report from Bescom.
24 held in dance bar raid
The Central Crime Branch police raided a dance bar in Gandhinagar on Friday night and arrested 24 persons for allegedly indulging in prostitution.
The police also recovered 12 mobile phones, Rs 20,000 in cash and a CCTV server from Sakhi Ladies Bar and Restaurant located on the 5th Main Road in Gandhinagar.
According to the police, restaurant owner Gopalkrishna and staffers Mahabala, Ramakant, Nagaraj and Sanjay would identify customers and lure them into prostitution. Sanjay would strike the deal and take the customers to Bhagini Lodge in Indiranagar. Lodge manager Shivashankar booked rooms for them and facilitated flesh trade, said the police. The women pushed into prostitution hailed from Delhi, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The police raided Bhagini Lodge, arrested Shivashankar and rescued a girl from Nepal. They also recovered his cellphone. The girl told the police that around 40 girls were working at Sakhi Ladies Bar and Restaurant for the last six months. The management was not paying salary to workers regularly. Gopalkrishna, Ramakant, Mahabala and Sanjay would identify customers and provide them girls of their choice. They would then share the money among themselves without paying a single rupee to the girls, she said.
The police have registered two cases and are investigating. Gopalkrishna is at large.