Fashion designer Malini Ramani was arrested on Tuesday by Delhi Police in connection with the death of a 35-year-old man at her garment factory in Mehrauli last year, reports Times of India.
Ramani, daughter of socialite Bina Ramani, was later released on bail. Sources said she was called to the Mehrauli police station for recording her statement. But when the police claimed to have found ‘‘substantial evidence'' against her, she was arrested. Her manager, Jitendra Raj, was also arrested, and, subsequently, released on bail.
In April last year, a worker at Ramani's factory had died in a fire which was reportedly caused by a short-circuit. The factory was manufacturing clothes and some chemicals were allegedly stored there.
The victim, identified as Harish Sharma (35), suffered serious burn injuries in the fire and was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital where he later died. Another person, identified as Michael, too, suffered injuries in the incident. The police had registered a case of negligence which was later converted to 304 A (death due to negligence) of IPC.
The fire had broken out on the ground floor of the garment unit and six fire tenders were used to douse the flames.
The probe into the incident had revealed, claim the cops, that Ramani did not have permission from the licensing branch of Delhi Police to use the harmful chemicals.
‘‘There was clear negligence on the part of the proprietor and the factory administration. There were more than two dozen workers at the unit and their lives were in danger,'' said a senior police officer.
Ramani, said a senior police officer, was released on bail after she furnished a surety bond of Rs 50,000.
She was accompanied by her lawyer and was released within an hour after the arrest, said police. Ramani has been working in the Indian fashion industry since 2000. Besides designing clothes, she runs a restaurant in Goa.
