Hotel lease-holder arrested, two detained after Kolkata hotel inferno kills nine
Kolkata police have arrested the lease-holder of a hotel following a fire that killed nine people, including several Bangladeshi nationals. A special investigation team has been formed to probe the incident, which occurred in a building frequently visited by medical tourists.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical safety and regulatory concerns in high-density urban hospitality sectors, particularly regarding international visitors.
Kolkata Police on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) night arrested the lease holder of the hotel in Mirza Ghalib Street where a massive fire broke out killing nine people including several Bangladeshi nationals.
"Late last night, a team of Detective Department picked up Abu Zafar, the lease holder of Hotel Shikha Inn, where the fire incident took place. Later, he was arrested from the Entally main market area. Two other people including a staff of Shikha Inn and the manager of Jaapon Hotel of the same building were also detained for questioning," said the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Kunal Aggarwal.
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