First Visuals Of Satya Niketan Building Owner Hariram Bansal Nabbed In Rajasthan's Bhiwadi

Rajasthan: More than 24 hours after the tragedy, Hariram Bansal, the owner of the paying guest (PG) building that collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan, killing seven people, has been detained from Rajasthan's Bhiwadi following an extensive manhunt.

The first image after his detention has surfaced on social media. He can be seen wearing a mask, dressed in a white, short-sleeved button-down shirt and dark grey trousers.

The detention comes after the police registered an FIR against him and others in connection with the collapse and were trying to trace the building owner. The case includes charges related to culpable homicide, negligence in maintaining a structure and endangering the safety of others.

Lookout circular issued

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police had issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Bansal and obtained his passport details as part of efforts to intercept him. After the LOC, 10 police teams were deployed to track him down, with three to four teams conducting raids at suspected hideouts.

Police also reached Sector 23, where Hariram Paints and Hardware, owned by him, had remained locked for the past two days. His family owned several houses in Sector 23 and Palam Vihar, India Today reported, citing neighbours.

12 rescued from debris

Meanwhile, 12 people have been rescued from the debris of the decades-old multi-storey building, which housed a boys’ paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus.

Rental agreement under scrutiny

A rental agreement linked to the PG accommodation has also come under scrutiny after it emerged that the contract absolved the PG management of responsibility for any harm to tenants, according to a News 18 report.

A clause in the agreement reportedly stated that PG authorities held no accountability for casualties or risks faced by residents, a term that has drawn attention following the five-storey structure's collapse, which trapped students and workers under debris.