NEW DELHI: Two men died after a fire broke out at Vishal Mega Mart in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, police said on Saturday.
One of the deceased has been identified as Kumar Dhirender Pratap (25), a UPSC aspirant, who was found dead inside a lift. Police suspect he died due to suffocation after getting trapped during the fire, but the exact cause will be confirmed after the post-mortem report.
The second victim has been identified as Pawan Gautam (30), whose charred body was recovered from the second floor on Saturday afternoon. A native of Aligarh, Pawan was working as a Lab Testing MTS and had been living on rent in Rajendra Nagar, police said.
“The fire broke out on Friday evening at the four-storey showroom, which houses fabric and grocery items,” said DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan.
Delhi Fire Services said they received a call about the blaze at 6:44 pm on Friday. A total of 26 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and firefighting operations are still underway.
Dhirender was declared brought dead at RML Hospital,” the DCP said, adding, “One more unidentified charred body was later found inside the building premises.”
“A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to negligence,” a senior police officer said. Investigators are also examining whether fire safety protocols—such as functional fire exits, extinguishers, and alarms—were in place at the time of the incident.
According to fire officials, a thorough search and assessment of the building will only be conducted once the fire is fully under control. The cause of the fire will be determined after a detailed investigation.
Dhirender’s brother, Virendra, said his brother had recently returned to the city after a break at home and had appeared for the UPSC prelims. He was staying in a rented accommodation in Karol Bagh.
“Dhirender sent me messages from inside the elevator,” Virendra said, adding, “He said, ‘I’m in the lift. Karol Bagh Mega Mart.’ in his final message and was having trouble breathing and asked me to do something. After that, there were no more messages. He had just come back 2 days ago and was trying to restart studies”.