NEW DELHI: Shudhanshu Lovneesh, the 31-year-old paying guest (PG) operator, has been arrested in the Satya Niketan case that claimed seven lives.
Lovneesh is a resident of Bhajanpura in northeast Delhi. He completed his graduation from Delhi University in 2019. In 2022, he, along with his friend Shubham Tyagi, started operating the PG accommodations in the Satya Niketan under the name of “Hostel Daze”.
At present, he runs seven PGs in the area. In August 2025, he and Tyagi leased four floors of the collapsed building for `1.05 lakh per month. The property was rented at a relatively lower rate due to its dilapidated condition. Despite being aware that the ongoing construction work could affect the structural integrity of the building as a whole, officials said, he continued it.
Earlier, the labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, 35, a resident of Bihar, was arrested from UP. Kumar had told police that he was engaged in renovation work at the building and had been assigned the project by Mahesh Gupta around 10 days ago. The work involved levelling the basement with the ground floor.
Around three truckloads of debris had been dumped in the basement as part of the work. Kumar was being paid `2,800 per day by Mahesh for the job.
During the probe, it was found that a wall on the ground floor was obstructing space meant for a shop, and on the day of the incident, the wall was removed to create additional space. The building was unable to withstand the additional load and eventually collapsed, a senior police officer said.
Mahesh, Sanoj and Sudhanshu were produced before a city court on Wednesday and sent to two days of police custody.
Investigators are now probing how many students used to stay in the PG, its layout and the number of rooms in the building. Police are also procuring rent agreements signed by students with the owners and operators of the house to ascertain the accommodation arrangements and conditions imposed on the tenants.