Delhi Police have arrested the wife and son of building owner Hariram Bansal in connection with the Satya Niketan paying guest accommodation collapse that killed seven people on Sunday.
With Hariram already in custody, his wife Urmila and son Mahesh are now also behind bars, taking the total number of family members arrested in the case to three. Investigators have also uncovered a discrepancy in the property records, with the electricity connection registered to Hariram and Mahesh, while the premises are recorded in Urmila’s name.
The building, located in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus, housed a boys’ paying guest accommodation called Hostel Daze. It collapsed at around 1:30 pm on Sunday, September 6, while repair and renovation work was reportedly underway. Around 12–13 people were rescued from the debris, while seven people lost their lives.
The alleged owner, Hariram Bansal, who is also referred to in some reports as Hariram Bansal, went untraceable following the collapse. Delhi Police subsequently registered an FIR against him and others under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligence in the construction or repair of buildings, and acts endangering life or personal safety.
Owner apprehended in Rajasthan
Police launched multiple teams to trace Gupta, issued a Look Out Circular and carried out raids at several locations. According to India Today, he was eventually apprehended in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, on Monday, September 7.
The investigation then expanded to amily. Police arrested his wife, Urmila, and son, Mahesh, as investigators began examining their respective roles in the property and its management.
Ownership records raise questions
Ownership and utility records have raised further questions. Property documents reportedly show the building registered in Urmila’s name, while the electricity connection was in Hariram’s name, or jointly in the names of Hariram and Mahesh. Mahesh was also reportedly involved in managing the property.
Investigators are now examining who was responsible for the building’s construction, maintenance and renovation, as well as how the premises came to be operated as a paying guest accommodation. Authorities are also looking into discrepancies in ownership and other records, according to Times Now.
Civic officials suspended
The arrests come as scrutiny intensifies over alleged lapses surrounding the building. Five officials from the South Zone of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have been suspended following the collapse, while the Delhi government has ordered a magisterial inquiry.
The Delhi High Court has also directed authorities to investigate safety lapses involving paying guest accommodations in the area. Meanwhile, officials are examining other buildings considered potentially unsafe or unauthorised, with action including sealing and demolition being planned where necessary.
The Satya Niketan collapse has therefore widened from a rescue operation into a broader investigation into alleged illegal construction, building safety, property ownership and possible administrative lapses, with police now probing the roles of both the property owners and civic authorities.
