New Delhi: Delhi Police on Thursday arrested property owner Lavkesh Bajaj after a catastrophic fire at his Hauz Rani guest house claimed 21 lives on Wednesday.
The deceased included 11 foreign nationals.
Bajaj and his wife were placed under a lookout circular to prevent escape abroad before investigators tracked him down.
The inferno broke out early Wednesday at the five-storey Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast in Malviya Nagar. Guests, many international visitors seeking medical treatment nearby, were trapped inside smoke-filled corridors as evacuation proved impossible.
The building had only one entry and exit, sealed windows, and a sensor-driven main door that failed when power snapped. Local residents rushed to help, laying mattresses on the street to cushion desperate jumps from upper floors.
Police filed charges of culpable homicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after discovering the property operated without fire safety clearance. Records show it was licensed for just six rooms but illegally ran 25, using unauthorized basements and extra floors.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry, while Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu directed a month-long safety sweep of private clinics, guest houses, and eateries. Delhi Municipal teams have begun sealing unauthorized commercial centers across south Delhi. Survivors remain under critical care at AIIMS Trauma Centre and Safdarjung Hospital.