India

Second PG Operator Arrested in Delhi Building Collapse That Killed Seven

By HT News Desk

Police have arrested one of two absconding operators of a boys' paying guest (PG) accommodation in Delhi's Satya Niketan area, days after the building's collapse killed seven people. The operator, identified as Sudhanshu, was apprehended on Wednesday morning. His business partner remains at large.

The five-storey building had been leased in August 2025 by two business partners, identified through a rent agreement as Shubham Tyagi and Sudhanshu, both originally from Uttar Pradesh. The document was shared by the son of the arrested building owner, who is currently in police custody.

Earlier, police had apprehended labour contractor Sanoj, who allegedly supervised repair work in the building's basement that is believed to have caused the collapse.

The collapse occurred on Sunday afternoon, killing seven people, including five students. Deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel said the basement was being repaired because waste had accumulated there during the rainy season over the previous 8-10 days. Additionally, the ground floor was undergoing repairs to expand it for commercial use.

Delhi Police had earlier arrested the building's owners, 81-year-old Hariram Bansal, his 75-year-old wife Urmila Gupta, and their 52-year-old son Mahesh Gupta, from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan on Monday. Bansal and his wife were remanded to 14-day judicial custody, while their son, who police said managed the building, was given two days in police custody.

During questioning, Mahesh Gupta provided investigators with the rental agreement between his mother, the property owner, and the two PG operators, who ran the accommodation under the name Hostel Daze. An investigating officer said at least three other PGs operating under the same brand name had been running in the same neighborhood before the collapse.

Investigators found that the building contained seven rooms across four floors — two each on the first, second, and third floors, with one room on the fourth floor that had been partially converted into single accommodation for three students. The ground floor housed two shops, in addition to the basement that was under repair.