Dhaka, Dec 27 (IANS): Bangladesh's anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Monday arrested Hamjalal Sheikh, one of the owners of a ferry that caught fire on Friday.

The ferry fire killed dozens of people.

"We've arrested the ferry's owner for murder charges," said RAB spokesman Commander Khandker Al Moin.

On Sunday, a marine court in Dhaka issued arrest warrants against eight persons, including Sheikh and three other owners of the the ill-fated "MV Abhijan-10" vessel following a case filed against them.

"What our investigation revealed is that the fire started in the engine room," Jhalokati Deputy Commissioner Md Johar Ali told Xinhua news agency on Sunday, adding that the fire quickly spread as the ferry traveled along the Sugandha river.

The vessel's engine room was illegally modified, with the government-approved engine replaced without due authority permission, The Daily Star quoted officials as saying.

The blaze raged for three hours on the three-story ferry sailing from Dhaka to the Barguna district in southern Bangladesh. At least 38 people were killed, about 100 others hospitalized, and 26 still unaccounted for as rescue missions continued.