Death toll rises to six in Old Delhi building collapse
Police have arrested the building owner and three contractors following the collapse of an under-construction structure in Hauz Qazi.
The death toll from the collapse of a three-storey building in Old Delhi's Hauz Qazi area rose to six on Saturday, according to reports from Deccan Chronicle, News18 and The Pioneer. The incident occurred near the Chawri Bazar Metro station at approximately 9.45 am on Thursday while 10 to 15 labourers were working at the site.
Police have arrested the building owner, Saimullah alias Ayub, and three contractors, identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan. The contractors were apprehended in Sirohi, Faridabad, while the owner was also taken into custody. The arrests follow an FIR registered at the Hauz Qazi police station on November 5 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The deceased have been identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu and Dinesh Sah. While Vipin Ram lived in Mandawali, Delhi, the others were reported to be from Bihar. Two individuals, Sahdev Chaudhary and Firoz, were rescued with injuries and were reported to be stable.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials stated the building was being constructed on a 50-square-metre plot without sanctioned plans. The collapse happened during the laying of a third-floor roof slab, which an official attributed to the use of non-engineered material that had not set properly.
The Delhi Police had previously alerted the MCD regarding unauthorised construction at the site in a letter dated June 15. In response to the incident, the MCD has placed an assistant engineer and a junior engineer under suspension pending an inquiry. Rescue teams continued clearing debris on Saturday.