The father of Amreen Minaj Shah Alam Qureshi (26), who died in the fire at Nagpada on Thursday, is going to be haunted forever with his decision to lock her up in the house. He had locked her and stepped out to get keema for her when the fire broke out.
<img title="The burnt front door of Qureshi&rsquo;s house" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/jan/Fire-blames.jpg" alt="The burnt front door of Qureshi&rsquo;s house" /> The burnt front door of Qureshi&rsquo;s house
Amreen was trapped inside their apartment on the second floor of Aksa Manzil in Chowkie Mohalla, when the fire started at 5.05 pm. Some residents managed to break open the door later, but by then she had sustained 100 per cent burn injuries. She was declared dead on arrival at J J Hospital. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained.
<img title="Abdullah Dawood Qureshi, a resident of the adjacent building, tried to rescue Amreen but couldn&rsquo;t, and had to be admitted to J J hospital due to smoke inhalation" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/jan/Abdullah-Dawood.jpg" alt="Abdullah Dawood Qureshi, a resident of the adjacent building, tried to rescue Amreen but couldn&rsquo;t, and had to be admitted to J J hospital due to smoke inhalation" /> Abdullah Dawood Qureshi, a resident of the adjacent building, tried to rescue Amreen but couldn&rsquo;t, and had to be admitted to J J hospital due to smoke inhalation
In the Accidental Death Report, J J Marg police has mentioned that Amreen was mentally and physically challenged. But neighbours say that she only had a limp in her right leg and was a little childish, but not mentally challenged. &ldquo;She was only immature, a little childish, but certainly not mentally challenged.
<img title="A resident of the building says Amreen was a little immature, but not mentally challenged as the police have said" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/jan/Amreen.jpg" alt="A resident of the building says Amreen was a little immature, but not mentally challenged as the police have said" /> A resident of the building says Amreen was a little immature, but not mentally challenged as the police have said
She did the shopping, bought vegetables, cooked and took care of her father. How could she be mentally challenged?&rdquo; asked a neighbour, Zarar Shaikh. When asked why Minaj locked her up, he said this wasn&rsquo;t the first time he had done that.
&ldquo;On several occasions he would lock her up. We never spoke much, so I don&rsquo;t know about their family issues. They seemed alright,&rdquo; said Shaikh. Abdullah Dawood Qureshi (37), the first to reach the second floor, said, &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t break the lock and the flames were increasing rapidly. There was too much smoke and eventually I had to fall back.&rdquo;
Another tragedy for father Family members and friends of the Qureshis were distraught. Jamil Shaikh (68), Minaj&rsquo;s friend, who was with him, said, &ldquo;He was barely 10 minutes away when people started screaming about the fire. We rushed to see his apartment on fire.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He had lost his wife four years ago to a heart ailment, and his son passed away two months after that due to a stomach ailment. Amreen was all he had and this happened. He is holding himself responsible for her death and is in shock,&rdquo; said Mohammad Wasim, Minaj&rsquo;s nephew.
No cause found yet Santosh Sawant, assistant divisional officer from Byculla fire station, and the investigating officer of the blaze, said, &ldquo;Had it been a cylinder blast, the kitchen platform and stove would have been damaged, but that&rsquo;s not the case.
It can be gas leakage, or short circuit, or both. We will talk to people, take accounts of the firemen, filter possibilities, and then reach the most probable conclusion. It will take a little time.&rdquo; Anil Madvi, senior police inspector, J J Marg police station, said that prima facie it is gas leakage, but they are waiting for the report from the fire department.
&ldquo;There was nothing suspicious about the incident. We have taken statements of the eyewitnesses. We have recorded Amreen&rsquo;s death as accidental death,&rdquo; says Madvi.

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Minaj Shah had locked up 26-year-old Amreen in their Nagpada&nbsp;house and stepped out to buy keema for her when the fire broke out, killing her; cause of the fire is unknown

Mumbai: Father blames himself for woman's fiery death

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Mumbai: Father blames himself for woman's fiery death

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