Absconding PG operator surrenders before court

New Delhi: Absconding accused and PG operator Shubham Tyagi surrendered before the Patiala House Court on Friday in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse case, which killed seven people, including five students, police said.

Police sought custody of Tyagi for two days for questioning and further investigation into the circumstances leading to the collapse of the five-storey building, they said. Tyagi was allegedly operating as a paying guest accommodation in the building in south Delhi and had taken a floor of the property on lease from its owner Hariram Gupta, according to police.

He had been absconding since the incident and police teams had been conducting searches at several places to trace him.

The development comes a day after investigators said they were examining mobile-phone records and online chat history of co-accused Sudhanshu Lovneesh, who is under arrest, to ascertain what transpired immediately after the building collapsed. Police said Lovneesh’s phone has been sent for forensic examination.

The building in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus collapsed on Sunday while repair and extension work was underway. Police arrested the building owner’s son Mahesh, labour contractor Sanoj Kumar and the PG operator.

Police said building owner Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife Urmila, 75, are also in judicial custody. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers pending disciplinary proceedings.

Police are probing whether structural alterations and ongoing repair work contributed to the collapse.

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The Hans India