NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police is investigating a masked woman seen on CCTV entering a five-storey Govindpuri building around 2:23 am on Friday, minutes before a fatal fire killed three family members, officials said on Sunday.
According to police, the nearly 50-second footage captured by a CCTV installed in a parking area in Gali Number 1 of Tughlakabad Extension in Southeast Delhi shows the woman, her face covered by a dupatta, entering the building.
Moments later, a bright glow or flash is visible from inside the gate, after which the woman is seen leaving the building and walking away, police said.
Investigators suspect the woman may have triggered the fire, though her exact role is not yet established.
"The footage is being closely examined, and all possible angles are being investigated. The identity of the woman is yet to be ascertained. Officials are reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the fire," a police source said.
The Govindipuri fire killed Pankaj (28), his maternal grandmother Sushila Devi (70) and his sister Soni (20).
Two other family members, Pankaj's mother Guddi Devi (50), who is speech-impaired, and his younger sister Moni (18), sustained life-threatening injuries and are undergoing treatment.
Police said a PCR call regarding the blaze was received at 2:31 am.
Firefighters and police personnel launched a rescue operation and evacuated several residents trapped inside the smoke-filled structure, officials said.
Earlier, police said a preliminary enquiry suggested that the fire may have originated from a short circuit on the ground floor, where several two-wheelers parked inside the building caught fire.
Officials said, however, the CCTV footage has prompted investigators to examine the possibility of foul play as well.
Officials said forensic teams and local police inspected the scene and are analysing technical and physical evidence collected from the building.
Police clarified that a single individual did not own the building; rather, each floor contained two separate flats, each owned by the family residing in it.