Around 9:35pm on Monday, a fire broke out at the cellar of Ruby Motors in Secunderabad. As the smoke from the cellar found its way into the four floors of Ruby Luxury Pride Hotel, located in the same building in Secunderabad, 25 people staying in the building did not know the extent of tragedy that awaited them. Soon, the entire building was full of smoke and the people were in a state of panic.
N Balaji, a 52-year-old sales audit manager with the Chennai-based Aachi Masala Foods, sensed he was in danger. When his shout for help went unanswered, he dialled his wife in panic and said, “Help me, help me,” even as he struggled to breath due to the smoke. Before he could complete his sentence, he collapsed, an official from Aachi Masala Foods Private Limited told TNM.
A photo of N Balaji (source: LinkedIn)
Balaji was in Hyderabad for an audit and had returned to the room from work 30 minutes before the fire broke out. Following the panic call, his wife Meenal alerted the company officials who informed a colleague in Hyderabad to check on him. When Satyanad, the Vice President of the company, rushed to Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel, he figured out that Balaji had lost his life in the tragic fire accident. Even as he struggled to come to terms with the death of his colleague, he was informed that PN Sitharaman (45), another employee from Aachi Masala Foods Pvt Ltd too was residing in the same hotel, in another room, and that he too had become a victim.
“PN Sitharaman was a Sales Manager (Modern Trade) and was in Hyderabad on work. The company had no idea that he too was in the same hotel until the VP was informed about the same. It is an unfortunate coincidence that both our employees ended up in the same hotel and succumbed in the tragic fire accident in Hyderabad,” an official from Aachi Masala Foods Pvt Ltd told TNM. Both N Balaji and PN Seetharaman are survived by their wives and a son and daughter each.
After the day’s work, PN Sitharaman had visited his brother Subramaniam in Hyderabad, had dinner with him and then returned to the hotel ten minutes before the fire accident. “We are deeply pained by the incident and the company is in touch with both the families of the deceased and all arrangements have been made to transport the bodies to Chennai,” the official told TNM.
Alladi Harish had come to Hyderabad to attend a training workshop organised by a bank. After learning about the incident his brother Alladi Girish rushed to Hyderabad from Ramavarapadu. According to Girish, his brother was with his friends until around 8:30pm before he headed to the hotel. Harish, who was 33, worked with a bank earlier and had just come to Hyderabad to attend the training before joining a new banking company. Girish said, Harish and his wife Kavita were blessed with a baby daughter just 16 days ago.
Alladi Harish (Courtesy: By Arrangement)
Veerender Kumar Devakar, a 50-year-old man, was among the three from Delhi who lost their lives in the fire incident. Following the incident, Veerender’s wife and daughter flew down to Hyderabad to identify the body. They were inconsolable after they identified his body at the Gandhi Hospital’s mortuary. According to Preeti, Veerender’s daughter, her father was into real estate and was in Hyderabad for the last 20 days. He was supposed to return to Delhi on Monday, but had informed his wife that he postponed his travel plans to Tuesday.
Brothers Rajeev Malik (56) and Sandeep Malik (61) who hail from Delhi too were among the victims. The brothers who were businessmen were in Hyderabad as part of their work. Their relatives were informed about their deaths and were brought to Hyderabad for identifying their bodies.
Mithali Mohapatra Jethi, a 29-year-old Medical Aesthetic Technician at Oliva Skin and Hair Clinic was in Hyderabad to attend a training programme. Her husband, Chandan Jethi, a software engineer, decided to travel along with his wife for the weeklong training. Both though natives of Odisha, were residing in Bengaluru. Chandan had decided to work from the hotel while his wife was away for training. Both of them lost their lives in the mishap. On Facebook, Chandan’s last update was a photo of the couple holding hands from December 2020. Chandan had uploaded a photo with a captain saying, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” Their relatives were at the Gandhi Hospital’s mortuary to identify their bodies and complete other formalities.
The photo of the couple uploaded on Facebook by Chandan Jethi
All eight bodies were identified and post-mortem examinations were carried out at the Gandhi Medical Hospital on Tuesday. Nearly 10 others injured in the accident have been admitted at various private hospitals for treatment. Around seven people jumped to safety from the hotel’s window. Those admitted in hospitals have suffered burn injuries and also have internal injuries due to the inhalation of toxic smoke. A case has been registered against Rajender Singh Bagga and Sumeet Singh Bagga, the owner of the hotel and the owner of the electric bike showroom, under relevant sections.