Satya Niketan Building Collapse: 5 Arrested Including PG Operator, Owner In Police Custody

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New Delhi: The death toll in the tragic building collapse in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan area has triggered major police action, with two more arrests made on Tuesday. Police have now arrested the PG operator and a labour contractor in connection with the incident, taking the total number of arrests to five.

The arrested PG operators have been identified as Sudhanshu and Sanoj, who are currently being interrogated by the Delhi Police.

The incident, where a dilapidated five-storey building collapsed, claimed seven lives and left several others injured, shaking the entire capital.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has started demolishing another unsafe multi-storey building located right next to the collapsed structure.

Building Owner And Parents Sent To Custody

Earlier, Delhi’s Patiala House Court sent the owner of the collapsed building, Mahesh Gupta, to two days of police custody.

Late last night, Duty Magistrate Bhavya Karhail sent Mahesh Gupta’s parents, Hariram Gupta (81) and Urmila Gupta (75), to judicial custody.

All three were arrested on September 7. According to Delhi Police, the electricity connection of the building was in the name of Hariram Gupta, a retired Sergeant of the Indian Air Force, while the building was registered in the name of Urmila Gupta. Their son Mahesh Gupta (52), who runs a hardware and paint shop, was managing the PG facility operating in the building.

So far, seven deaths have been confirmed in the tragedy, while 12 people have been rescued.

MCD Tightens Noose On Unsafe Buildings

Following the deadly collapse in Satya Niketan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has intensified surveillance of weak and unsafe buildings across the capital.

In this regard, Yashpal Singh Kaintura, Chairman of MCD’s Eastern Zone, held a high-level review meeting with officials of the building department and other concerned departments. He directed officials to immediately identify buildings violating construction norms and take strict action against them.