Delhi Building Collapse: Absconding PG Owner Arrested from Rajasthan

New Delhi: Police have arrested the absconding property owner from Rajasthan while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended five officials as the death toll from the Satya Niketan multi-storey building collapse rose to seven.

The primary accused, identified as Hariram Gupta, was apprehended by Delhi Police from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan’s Alwar district near the Haryana border. Bansal had been fleeing law enforcement after the five-storey structure housing 'Hostel Daze'—a boys' PG accommodation near Delhi University's South Campus—collapsed on Sunday afternoon. Earlier today, the police has issued a lookout circular following his absconding.

Authorities charged him under culpable homicide and negligence provisions after preliminary probes revealed unauthorized extra storeys and ongoing basement alterations that compromised structural stability.

Meanwhile, cracking down on administrative lapse, MCD Commissioner Sanjiv Khirwar ordered the immediate suspension of five civic officials under the DMC Services Regulations. The suspended personnel include Deputy Commissioner (South Zone) Rakesh Kumar, Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer Sunil Chauhan, and Junior Engineer Ashish Kumar. The civic body cited failure to monitor and act against unauthorized construction and hazardous structural modifications in the congested residential area.

Emergency response teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Service, and local police continue to look for survivors as the rescue operations continue. Multiple victims, primarily college students, remain undergoing treatment for severe injuries at the AIIMS Apex Trauma Centre and Safdarjung Hospital.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the disaster site, confirming that structural waterlogging and compromised foundational pillars triggered the failure. The MCD has begun issuing demolition and sealing notices for adjacent illegal constructions exceeding four storeys across the capital.