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South Delhi hotel owner saw property up in flames, fled: Police
Owner’s two other properties in Hauz Rani under scanner for safety violations.
Officials, meanwhile, said that the policemen, with the help of locals, broke the locks at the entries to the basement and the roof to make way for the people stuck in the building. They also arranged mattresses onto which people jumped in a desperate bid to escape, officials added.
When the fire broke out at Flourish Stays B&B in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, the owner rushed to the area, but after seeing from the main road that the property was engulfed in flames, he left, police said.
“The owner Lavkesh Bajaj’s house is located directly opposite the property where the fire broke out,” a police officer said. “He kept driving through the day before being apprehended on Wednesday night,” police said.
According to police, the owner was arrested after allegedly attempting to evade authorities by frequently changing locations in Saket and switching vehicles before heading to the residence of a known acquaintance.
Two more properties under scanner
Investigation into the fire, which claimed 21 lives, revealed the owner also operated two other properties in the area which are now under scrutiny for alleged safety and regulatory violations, police sources said, adding that these properties lacked several permissions required to operate as a hotel.
Officials said preliminary inspections of both establishments have allegedly uncovered multiple violations, including unauthorised construction, inadequate fire-safety arrangements and the presence of only a single entry-exit stairway. The properties are shut now.
During questioning, police said Bajaj claimed he had purchased the Flourish Stays property around three years ago from a man identified as Ahluwalia.
Investigators said the building is approximately 40 years old, although substantial renovation work, including modifications to the façade and interiors, was carried out over the last two to three years.
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Police sources said the structure comprised a basement with four rooms and a kitchen, a ground floor housing the reception area, restaurant and two rooms, and four upper floors containing around five rooms each. There was also a kitchen running on the top floor.
Investigators are examining whether changes made during the renovation altered the original structure and compromised safety norms.
Police said they received information about the fire at 8.49 am, with callers reporting that several people were trapped inside the building. Teams reached the spot within minutes and launched rescue operations.
Officials said police began evacuations within seven to eight minutes of their arrival, while local residents had already started rescuing occupants before the fire and police teams reached the site.
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Officials have since declared the fire-ravaged building dangerous. Portions of the interiors have become unstable following the blaze, with glass panels, tiles and other fittings reportedly coming loose.
According to the FIR registered on the complaint of a police officer, the owner failed to ensure adequate safety measures at the building, resulting in a fire that caused multiple deaths.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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