Green Cozy fire likely started from gas cylinder, believes CID

There is evidence of an explosion, according to the chief of the CID

The Criminal Investigation Department of police believes the deadly fire at the Green Cozy Cottage building on Dhaka’s Bailey Road likely started from a gas cylinder.

The agency is tasked with investigating the case filed over the incident at Ramna Police Station.

CID chief Mohammad Ali Mia was asked about the investigation during a press conference on Thursday.

Various pieces of evidence were collected immediately after the incident, Mia said. They are now undergoing tests and a report will be available in a couple of days.

“Initially we believe that there is a high, high probability that it started from a gas cylinder. But we will provide more details when we have the report.”

In response to another question, he said, “Tests have indicated an explosion occurred.”

Muhammad Ashraf Hossain, deputy commissioner of the Ramna Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the documents of the case were handed over to the CID after the order was given on Tuesday.

On Mar 1, the Green Cozy Cottage building was engulfed in a massive blaze that took the lives of 46 people.

Four people were identified as suspects in the case filed by the police. They are Anwarul Haque, the owner of the tea and coffee store Chumuk on the ground floor of the building, the unnamed owner of the Amin Mohammad Group which built the building, Munshi Hamimul Haque Bipul, who was in charge of building maintenance, and Sohail Siraj, the owner of the Kacchi Bhai restaurant on the second floor of the building.

In addition to Awarul and Hamimul, police also arrested Chumuk co-owner Shafiqur Rahman Rimon and Zainuddin Jishan, an official at the Bailey Road branch of Kacchi Bhai and interrogated them for two days on remand.

All four were sent to jail after interrogation.

Initially, Inspector Abu Ansar of Ramna Police Station was tasked with investigating the case.

“The case is no longer with the police station,” he said on Thursday night. “The documents have been handed over to the CID.”