The five injured people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals in Bochum.
Police suspect arson
Police have arrested a 41-year-old resident on suspicion of murder as investigators probe whether the blaze was deliberately started. The victims were two women aged 25 and 27, and a 26-year-old man, German public broadcaster WDR reported, citing Bochum police. The suspect is a 41-year-old Romanian national, German news channel n-tv reported, citing the German Press Agency (DPA).
A Bochum police spokesperson told WDR that there were initial grounds to suspect the man of murder. Their identities and home states in India have not been disclosed. He was questioned by officers from the homicide squad.
At least three Indians were killed and five others injured after a fire broke out at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, early Tuesday, local media reported on Wednesday. Police and prosecutors announced the arrest on Wednesday.
The fire broke out at around 4.15 am local time on Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in the Hofstede district of Bochum, prompting emergency services to respond.
The investigation into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the three deaths is under way.