The owner of Haji Wahed Mansion, where the deadly Chawkbazar fire originated, allegedly threatened the owner of Rajmahal Hotel, the eatery from where the CCTV footage of the fire was collected.
“On Mar 20, Wahed Mansion’s owner Hasan called me and threatened me” Mohammad Azam, the restaurateur told Bangla Tribune on Wednesday (Mar 27).
He said that he filed a General Diary (GD) with Chawkabazar police on Mar 25 and they were probing the matter.
The CCTV footage from Azam’s restaurant showed that the fire, originated on the first floor of Wahed Mansion which housed chemical warehouses.
“I didn’t give the footage to anyone. The police collected everything after the incident,” Azam said, and added that Hasan was holding him responsible and had called other people in the area throwing slurs and obscenities at them.
Hasan, however, couldn’t be reached for a comment as his phone was switched off.
Azam said that his GD was being investigated by police officer Murad but Chawkbazar police OC Shamimur Rashid denied having any knowledge about it, saying that he was “busy with other things.”
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Ibrahim Khan said, “The OC should definitely be aware of the GD. I’ll look into it.
“We will obviously arrange for the security of the person who filed the GD. We will take all the legal steps needed.”
On Feb 20, a deadly fire razed through Chawkbazar’s Churihatta intersection, gutting buildings and shops and killing people 70 people.