KARACHI: The investigation into the fire at City Courts’ malkhana that destroyed evidence about some of the high-profile criminal cases has come to a conclusion on Sunday that by keeping any sort of explosive and flammable material in an unsafe environment inside the facility most probably caused the fire.
According to a local media report, the inquiry team that was formed by Sindh Inspector General Police, A.D. Khawaja, was led by South DIG Azad Khan comprising of Forensic AIG Muquddus Haider and City SSP Sheeraz Nazeer.
The fire that erupted on April 11 had destroyed case properties and valuable record belonging to various cases of South and East districts.
it was stated in the inquiry that the front window of malkhana was broken in order to tame the fire. Furthermore, the chief fire officer stated in his report that the delay in seeking permission caused the fire to spread.
The bomb disposal squad, Rangers and Army were present at the site due to safety concerns. The electricity inspector and Punjab Forensic Science Agency ruled out short-circuiting as the cause of the fire.
“Previous inspection reports and CCTV footages establish that the properties were kept in haphazard and disorganised manner,” revealed the report.
“Flammable and combustible material were stowed together and no separate or organised place was dedicated for safekeeping of explosive materials.”
No fire alarm or automatic fire extinguishing mechanism was installed in malkhana.
The inquiry also suggested a host of measures to prevent such incidents in future.
