3 min readNew DelhiJun 11, 2026 04:01 AM IST
First published on: Jun 10, 2026 at 12:08 PM IST
A “dumb phone” used to evade police surveillance and a Rs 1.8-crore contract to add two illegal floors have emerged as key findings in the probe into the May 30 building collapse at Saidulajab near Saket Metro station that claimed six lives, even as the MCD has issued notices to owners of nearly 100 structures in the area and its surroundings that fall under the jurisdiction of Mehrauli over illegal construction.
On Tuesday, contractors Manish Khatri and Avinesh Gupta were arrested near the office of Khatri’s lawyer in Vasant Kunj. Earlier, the owner of the building, Karambir Sejwal, had been arrested in connection with the case.
“Khatri used a dumb phone — a basic mobile device meant for calls and texts — in order to escape tracking. Right after
the building collapsed, he fled to Manali initially, and then to Dehradun,” a source in the police said.
A team from Mehrauli police station tracked Khatri across the hill towns, but the absence of a smartphone made it difficult to pinpoint his location. Investigators said he frequently changed motels to avoid detection.
“On Monday night, we got a tip that he and Gupta would be coming to meet their lawyer in Vasant Kunj. A trap was laid, and he was arrested on Tuesday afternoon,” said a source.
Sources further said that Khatri, a relative of Sejwal, has allegedly been involved in several illegal construction projects in Saidulajab and nearby areas. “He was also involved in the construction of two other properties owned by Sejwal in Paryavaran Colony. His company is around eight years old. For this project in Saidulajab in Saket, Khatri and Gupta were awarded a contract worth Rs 1.8 crore,” a police officer said.
Police said the probe so far has found that the building that collapsed had been constructed eight years ago and that its basement was not structurally capable of bearing the additional load of two more floors.
“One extra floor had already been constructed, while work on another was underway. However, construction had reportedly been halted for several days due to a payment dispute when the building collapsed,” said a source.
Meanwhile, taking cognisance of letters written by the Delhi Police regarding illegal constructions in Saidulajab and nearby localities in Mehrauli, the MCD has served notices to the owners of around 100 such buildings over the last two weeks, The Indian Express has learnt.
Sources said the notices were primarily served to buildings that have floors constructed beyond the permissible limit.
According to MCD officials, the South Zone has taken action against around 80 such buildings, including several structures located in Saidulajab. The South Zone covers areas such as Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, RK Puram, Munirka, Vasant Vihar, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Aya Nagar, and Green Park. Officials added that Saidulajab falls under the jurisdiction of Mehrauli.
A few days before the building collapsed, excavation work was carried out in its basement to install a water tank. The police suspect that this may have further weakened the structure. (Express Photo by Shreya Singhai) 
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