Key Accused In Gujarat Game Zone Fire, Which Killed 28, Arrested In Rajasthan

The main accused in the case of a gaming zone fine in Gujarat's Rajkot, which killed 27, has been arrested, the police said on Monday.

The key accused Dhawal Thakkar was arrested from Abu Road in Rajasthan. The police received information that he had been hiding at his relative's house in Rajasthan.

A local court earlier today sent three men arrested in connection with the game zone fire to police custody for 14 days.

Special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani said that when asked about certain documents, the accused claimed they got burnt in the fire.

A first information report (FIR) was filed against six partners of the TRP game zone. Two partners in Raceway Enterprise, which operated the TRP game zone, Yuvrajsinh Solanki and Rahul Rathod, and the manager of the recreation centre, Nitin Jain, were arrested earlier today.

As per the FIR, the accused erected a 50-metre-wide and 60-metre-long structure that was as high as a three-storey building using metal sheet fabrication to create a game zone.

They did not have proper firefighting equipment and had not obtained no-objection certificate (NOC) from the local fire department.

Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said the government-appointed special investigation team (SIT) had seized all files related to the game zone for further investigation.

"The SIT has seized all relevant files from 2021 till 2024 in my presence from various departments such as the road and building department, police and Rajkot Municipal Corporation. We will not spare those found guilty of any wrongdoing," Mr Sanghavi told reporters in Gandhinagar.