Team Herald
PANJIM: The Tuem cement brick factory blast that claimed the lives of two workers saw the arrest of a former minister’s son and the factory owner, on Thursday.
Sameer Mandrekar, son of BJP’s ex-minister for water resources, Dayanand Mandrekar, and the plant’s operator Rajendra Joshi have been charged under various sections of the law, including causing death by negligence. Pernem police said the two were soon released on bail.
“They were arrested and released on bail. We have recorded their statements and will interrogate them as and when required because the investigation is still in progress. Many others are left to be interrogated,” an officer said.
Three workers were critically injured and six sustained minor injuries in the blast on January 12, of whom two local youth Akhil Naik and labourer Ajit Sonba Nake, succumbed last month. The police had registered a first information report against the accused for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The blast inside the unit also caused damage to vehicles and equipment around the site.
