A case has been filed with Ukhia police over a fire at Tup-Tup Resort on Marine Drive in Cox’s Bazar that killed 10 tourists. The resort’s owner, Tanvir, and manager, Suman, have been named as accused.
A sub-inspector of Ukhia police filed the case on Saturday night, Officer-in-Charge Atiqur Rahman Majumder confirmed.
He said Suman, who was detained on Saturday afternoon, had been formally arrested in connection with the case.
Suman will be produced before a court on Sunday, while police are conducting operations to arrest the other accused, the OC said.
Meanwhile, a five-member investigation committee formed by the district administration is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The fire broke out at Tup-Tup Resort and Restaurant on Saturday morning. Fire Service personnel recovered 10 bodies from the scene. DNA testing will be conducted to identify the victims, Majumder said.
He said the bodies would be handed over to the respective families after their identities were confirmed through DNA tests. The tests are intended to resolve discrepancies involving the recovered bodies, missing persons and the identification process.
The bodies will remain at the morgue of Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital until the process is completed.
Abul Kalam Azad, special superintendent of police at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Cox’s Bazar, said arrangements would be made to collect samples for DNA testing.
He said collection points will be set up at hospitals across Cox’s Bazar, adding that a team of CID experts from Dhaka could be brought in if necessary to facilitate the process locally.
Meanwhile, resort owner Tanvir has remained untraceable since the fire.