Delhi Collapse Toll Rises To 6, Four Arrested
The building owner, Saimullah alias Ayub, and contractors Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan were arrested.
New Delhi:The death toll in the collapse of an under-construction building in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar area rose to six on Saturday, with police arresting the building owner and three contractors in connection with the incident.
The building owner, Saimullah alias Ayub, and contractors Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan were arrested. The contractors were apprehended in Faridabad.
The three-storey structure collapsed near Chawri Bazaar Metro station on Thursday morning when around 10 to 15 labourers were working at the site.
The deceased were identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu and Dinesh Sah. Five hailed from Bihar, while Vipin Ram lived in Delhi.
Police registered a case under Sections 105, 290, 125(a) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligent construction.
The building was allegedly being constructed without the requisite permission. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials, the structure collapsed while work on the third-floor roof slab was under way.
The incident has raised questions about civic oversight, as Delhi Police had alerted the MCD to unauthorised construction at the site on June 15, nearly five months before the collapse.
The MCD has suspended an assistant engineer and a junior engineer pending an inquiry. Rescue teams continued clearing the debris and searching for possible victims.