Jay Mishra, the 34-year-old accountant of the Hauz Rani bed-and-breakfast facility where a fire last week killed 22 people, was arrested on Monday after surrendering before a court at the Saket court complex, senior police officers said. A court remanded him to two days’ police custody for interrogation and further investigation.
“Mishra’s arrest was important because the registration certificate issued by the Delhi government’s tourism department for operating the B&B shows him as the owner of the business, even though he worked there as an accountant. We will interrogate him to establish why the licence was obtained in his name and not in the name of the building’s actual owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, who was arrested last week,” an officer aware of the matter said.
Mishra, who had been absconding since the fire, is the third person arrested in the case after Bajaj and head chef Keshav Negi, who allegedly failed to alert authorities about the blaze that police believe started in the kitchen. Police teams are conducting searches in Delhi, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to trace the facility’s manager, identified only as Rupesh.
According to the FIR registered at Malviya Nagar police station, the case has been filed under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 324 (mischief), 326 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety) and 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The FIR, filed on the complaint of inspector Subhash Chand Yadav, does not name any accused. It details the fire call, rescue operations and the evacuation of victims to multiple hospitals.
“During the inquiry, it was learnt that the building was operating as ‘Flourish Stay’ and was being managed by Lavkesh Bajaj and others. Bajaj was found at the spot, but no staff members were present. Inspection of the premises revealed 23 rooms meant for guests,” the FIR states.
Senior officers said police will approach IIT-Delhi to conduct a detailed study of the building to determine how the fire spread so rapidly and to identify any structural deficiencies that may have contributed to the deaths.
“We will also ask IIT-Delhi to identify inflammable materials inside the building that may have intensified the fire,” another officer said.
During interrogation, Negi allegedly told investigators that he was cooking on the ground floor when he noticed a fire in an oil fryer. By then, the blaze had spread beyond control. He allegedly fled the building and informed Rupesh about the fire.
“Negi stated that Rupesh briefly went inside the building, came out a few minutes later and then disappeared,” the officer added.
