KARACHI, Sept 29: A judicial magistrate remanded on Saturday a suspect in police custody in a Baldia Town factory blaze case and also extended the remand of five other men in the case till Oct 1.

The police said on Friday they arrested Mansoor, said to be a manager of the fire-struck garment factory, who had gone missing after the incident, and produced him in court.

The investigating officer said he was a key suspect and requested the court to grant his custody for interrogation.

Judicial magistrate (west) Sohail Ahmed Mashori handed him over to the police on physical remand till Oct 1 and told the IO to produce him again on the next hearing.

The court also extended the physical remand of three gatekeepers — Fazal Ahmed, Arshad Mehmood and Ali Mohammad — and two others — Hanif and Mohammad Majid who are said to be employees of the ill-fated factory — till Oct 1.

A devastating fire engulfed the multi-storey factory building on the evening of Sept 11 in Baldia Town, within the remit of the SITE-B police station, and killed over 250 workers.

A case (FIR 343/12) was registered against the factory owners and others under Sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder), 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage etc.), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.), 337 (Shajjah) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the SITE-B police station.