Kolkata: Bireswar Mitra, owner of Shikha Inn, located on the second floor of the five-storey building at 15, Mirza Ghalib Street, also owns Hotel Jaapon, situated right opposite. Apart from these two, Mitra owns two hotels in Digha.
Mitra, the resident of Roy Bahadur Road in Behala, was currently on the run, said police. Investigating his background, police have found that he was a patron of a big budget Durga Puja in Behala. Mitra had reportedly started renovating Shikha Inn recently, after allegedly buying the property. But police said they had not yet come across any document showing his ownership. “As of now, we are still ascertaining if he is the owner or he operates on lease,” said a Lalbazar officer. Another officer said Abu Zafar, who claimed to be Mitra’s manager and reportedly took key decisions in the functioning of Shikha Inn, also remained untraceable. “We are not certain whether the two are travelling together or not,” said an officer.
Officers from the detective department, Behala PS and New Market PS visited Mitra’s home at a residential complex in Behala in the morning for a search but could not find him inside the flat. “We spoke to his wife,” said a senior detective department officer. Police also searched the ground floor of the building but to no avail. Cops have since been deployed outside the building to keep a watch. A neighbour said Mitra owned two cars and police suspected he fled in one of them as only one vehicle was found parked.
Two managers, both from Mitra’s other hotel on Free School Street, have been detained for questioning. At least three other workers from Hotel Jaapon have recorded their statements. The employees claimed that after the fire broke out, they tried to contact Mitra but his phone remained switched off. Indradev Paswan, an employee at Shikha Inn, said, “We are still trying to contact our owner but his phone has been switched off.”
KMC officers are also trying to track Mitra down.
“The Free School Street building used to be completely residential till people moved out and sold them to traders, who changed the nature of the place,” said the office-bearer of a traders’ association. Like others operating in the area, Mitra kept expanding his business. “As the number of tourists rose, more hotels opened in the building. These establishments have their loyal customers,” said a hotel manager on Marquis Street.