The owner of Haji Wahed Mansion, where the deadly Chawkbazar fire originated on February 20, has reportedly threatened the owner of Rajmahal Hotel, the restaurant from where CCTV footage of the fire was collected.
“On March 20, Wahed Mansion’s owner Md Hasan called me and threatened me in obscene language,” Md Azam told Bangla Tribune on Wednesday.
“After consulting with family members, I filed a general diary (GD) with Chawkbazar police on March 25. The police are looking into the matter,” he added.
The CCTV camera footage from Azam’s restaurant, which went viral on the internet, showed the massive fire that claimed 70 lives, originated on the first floor of Wahed Mansion, on Nanda Kumar Lane at Chawkbazar’s Churihatta intersection.
“I did not give the footage to anyone. The police collected everything as evidence after the incident,” Azam said.
“But still Hasan is holding me responsible,” he said, and added that the building owner also called other people in the area, hurling slurs and obscenities at them.
Hasan, however, could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off.
Azam said his GD was being investigated by Chawkbazar police station officer Murad, though the station OC, Shamimur Rashid Talukder, denied having any knowledge of the developments, saying he was busy with other things at the time.
Reached for comment, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner, Ibrahim Khan, said: “The OC should definitely be aware of the GD. I will look into it.
“We will obviously arrange for the security of the person who filed the GD. We will take all necessary legal steps.”
On February 20, the deadly fire ravaged several multi-storey buildings housing chemical and plastic warehouses, and shops killing 70 people and injuring many.
