Police arrest Bangladesh factory owners after fire kills 52

Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested eight people on murder charges in connection with a factory fire that killed at least 52 people

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Police in Bangladesh arrested eight people Saturday on murder charges in connection with a factory fire that killed at least 52 people, many of whom were trapped inside by an illegally locked door, a senior police official said. The blaze began Thursday night at the five-story Hashem Foods Ltd. factory in Rupganj, just outside the capital Dhaka, sending huge clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky. Police discovered piles of bodies Friday afternoon after the fire was extinguished. "We have arrested them for murder charges,” Jayedul Alam, police superintendent for Narayanganj district, told The Associated Press by phone. “They are in our custody now.” Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan said that among those detained is the managing director of Sajeeb Group, which owns the factory.