JAIPUR: A late-night fire at a scrap godown in Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district turned fatal, claiming the lives of four people, including two minor girls, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in the Neemrana area on Friday night. Superintendent of Police Satvir Singh said police recovered four charred bodies late at night and sent them for post-mortem. The victims were identified as Kavita (15), her seven-year-old relative, a driver named Ravindutt Yadav, and Johnny, who worked on a plastic processing machine in the godown. Preliminary inquiry suggests that the driver had come from Haryana to purchase plastic material. At the time, the young girl was sorting scrap perfume bottles and removing their caps. Police said they suspect that a lit bidi thrown by the driver ignited the spirit from the bottles, triggering the blaze. As the fire spread, the victims ran towards one side of the godown, but were blocked by a wall. They got trapped inside and died of suffocation, and the fire charred their bodies. SP Singh said that a woman working at the warehouse managed to escape but sustained a leg injury. Police have detained an associate of the godown owner for questioning while the owner, Karan Singh, is absconding. A case has been registered.
