The Delhi Police said it has apprehended Hariram Gupta, the owner of the building in Satya Niketan that collapsed, claiming the lives of seven people, from Rajasthan's Bhiwadi on Monday.
An officer said, "Hariram Gupta has been apprehended from Bhiwadi. Further examination is ongoing in connection with the case."
Police had earlier registered an FIR against Hariram Gupta and others in connection with the collapse and were trying to trace the building owner. The case includes charges related to culpable homicide, negligence in maintaining a structure and endangering the safety of others.
The Delhi Police had formed 10 teams to trace the building owner, comprising personnel from the local district police, Special Staff and other operational units, with each team headed by an officer of Additional DCP rank. They had also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers pending disciplinary proceedings, after a building housing a boys' PG in south Delhi's Satya Niketan collapsed, killing seven and injuring several others.
The order of the copy, accessed by PTI, reads that the suspended officials include Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer (Building) Sunil Chauhan and Junior Engineer (Building) Ashish Kumar of the South Zone.
The action comes after a decades-old five-storey building housing a boys' hostel collapsed in Satya Niketan on Sunday.
The suspension orders were issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Vigilance Department on the directions of the civic body's commissioner under the DMC Services (Control and Appeal) Regulations, 1959.
The officials have been placed under suspension with immediate effect under Regulation 5(2), the orders said.
They will be entitled to subsistence allowance as admissible under the rules.
The suspension orders were signed by Deputy Law Officer (Vigilance) Nand Kishore.
As rescue operations entered their second day on Monday, a total of 12 people have been rescued so far.
The Delhi High Court has also agreed to hear a PIL on Monday concerning the collapse of the building. The petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
The building, located near Delhi University’s South Campus, collapsed at around 1.30 pm on Sunday while repair and renovation work was reportedly underway in its basement. The structure, known locally as Hostel Daze, was being used as a boys’ PG accommodation and housed students from colleges in the South Campus area.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, police and other agencies continued searching through the debris on Monday.
Authorities said they could not yet rule out the possibility of more people being trapped. Officials also raised concerns about an unidentified labourer who may still be under the debris.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site and said around 80 per cent of the debris had been cleared, with work continuing in the basement area. She said the adjacent building, which had also been found unsafe, had been evacuated and would be demolished after the debris from the collapsed structure was cleared.
Gupta also ordered inspections of PG accommodations and other buildings in the surrounding area. The Delhi government is preparing a policy requiring buildings used as PGs, nursing homes, schools and other public establishments to undergo periodic structural audits and obtain safety certification.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu has called a high-level meeting on the collapse, with Gupta and senior officials from the Delhi Development Authority, MCD and Delhi Police expected to attend.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has separately ordered the immediate sealing of illegal buildings above four floors, with officials found responsible for negligence facing action.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the unstable condition of the neighbouring building was making the rescue operation particularly difficult. The adjacent structure, which is around four to five decades old, has been evacuated, he said.
“The NDRF team is continuously engaged in the operation,” Sirsa said, adding that rescuers had to clear the debris without causing further damage to the adjoining structure.
The collapse has also disrupted traffic around Satya Niketan, with the Delhi Traffic Police advising commuters to avoid routes connecting Safdarjung Hospital with Dhaula Kuan, RTR and Benito Juarez Marg. People have been asked not to stop or gather near the site so that ambulances and rescue vehicles can move freely.
The incident has raised questions over the safety of ageing buildings in Satya Niketan, a densely populated student hub adjoining Delhi University’s South Campus. The locality has seen many residential properties converted into PG accommodations and private hostels over the years.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)