New Delhi: Three members of a family, including retired Indian Air Force sergeant Hariram Gupta, his wife Urmila Gupta and their son Mahesh Gupta, have been arrested in connection with the Delhi building collapse that killed 7 people, police said.
Additional DCP Abhimanyu Poswal said that the property documents showed that Urmila Gupta was the owner of the building, while it was being managed and operated by her husband and son.
“As per the initial information we got, Hariram Gupta was the owner of the building and managed the PG. Later, we found that his wife, Urmila, is the building owner, and she has been arrested. Their son, Mahesh, who operated the PG, has also been arrested. During the enquiry, Hariram Gupta stated that he was getting a few renovations done in the basement of the building. The injured labourer also confirmed construction activities were being carried out in the basement of the building,” said the DCP.
As per the case registered at South Campus Police Station, the three family members are facing several charges, including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure and endangering the safety of others.
The FIR alleged that the accused constructed additional floors on the old structure despite concerns over its load-bearing capacity.The building collapsed around 1 pm, and police received information at around 1.34 pm. The caller informed authorities that a building being used as a PG had collapsed and that students were inside.ASI Praful Toppo, the complainant, said police reached the spot and found the entire building collapsed, with several people gathered around the site. A local inquiry revealed that PG accommodation was operating from the ground-plus-four-storey building, where several students and other people were residing.The FIR further alleged, based on local inquiry, that the building was several years old and that its owners had constructed four upper floors allegedly for rental income. It also stated that new construction was underway, which allegedly placed additional pressure on the structure.Police argued that the construction was carried out despite the owners being aware that the existing building's foundation could not bear the additional weight, potentially endangering lives.
Additional DCP Abhimanyu Poswal said earlier that basement renovation work was underway before the collapse. He said Hariram had admitted to overseeing the renovation, while an injured labourer also confirmed that construction activity was being carried out in the basement.
Among the three accused, the Duty Magistrate of Patiala House on Monday night remanded Mahesh Gupta to two days' police custody. Meanwhile, his parents, Hariram Gupta and Urmila Gupta, have been remanded to judicial custody. They were produced at the residence of the duty magistrate late at night.
Duty Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Bhavya Karhail passed the order of remand after hearing the submissions of Delhi police and defence counsel Yashpal Singh. Delhi Police moved an application seeking custodial remand of Mahesh Gupta and 14 days of judicial custody of Hariram Gupta and Urmila Gupta.
According to Delhi Police, the building’s electricity connection was in Hariram Gupta’s name, while his son was handling its management. The property was registered in the name of Hariram’s wife, Urmila Gupta.
As per Delhi police, the building owners and beneficiaries, Hariram Gupta, aged 81 years, his wife Urmila Gupta, aged 75 years, and their son Mahesh Gupta, aged 52 years, were arrested in the case.
During examination, the police found that though the property is in the name of Urmila, her husband and son managed it. Hariram has electricity connections for two floors in his name. He is a retired Sergeant from the Indian Air Force. Mahesh is running a hardware and paint shop. He has two kids.
In addition, a search of the PG Operators and labour contractors is being made. Their role will also be examined in the case, and accordingly action will be taken, the police said.
Meanwhile, the authorities concluded the search and rescue operations at the accident site on Monday. Out of 12 persons rescued, seven were declared dead. The families of the deceased persons have been handed over the mortal remains.
(with agency inputs from ANI, PTI)