New Delhi: A day after three members of the same family were killed in a fire in southeast Delhi’s Tughlaqabad Extension, police are looking for a woman who was seen on CCTV cameras entering the building moments before the blaze and leaving shortly after it broke out. Police are probing all angles, including sabotage.
The CCTV footage accessed by TOI shows the woman, face partially covered with a dupatta, initially approaching the building from the right side, but failing to enter because of a vehicle parked there. She finally entered the premises from the other side around 2.22am, the footage shows. No flames, smoke or any visible sign of fire can be seen in the footage at that point.
Moments later, a dog lying outside got up and peered through the gate before moving to another spot on the premises. Around 2.24am, a bright flash and burst of light were seen from inside the building. While the dog again rushed back towards the gate, the woman was seen exiting through the same side.
Analysing the footage, investigators have noticed movement inside the building before the flash and are examining if it was linked to the fire. “We are investigating whether she had any connection to the incident and if there was any element of sabotage,” an officer said. "There is also a possibility that she might have come to meet someone and left after the blaze broke out. Teams are trying to trace her and the circumstances will become clearer once she is located," he added.
Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said, “We have taken cognisance of a video being circulated in connection with the fire incident. The matter is being investigated from all possible angles.” Police are questioning local residents to ascertain whether anyone had seen or recognised her.
A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, along with Delhi Police, has conducted a detailed inspection of the building, particularly the ground floor and stilt parking area where the fire is believed to have originated Friday. Investigators searched for traces of flammable chemicals and collected burnt materials. Officials said the forensic report was expected to provide crucial clues about the possible cause of the fire.
Police are also probing whether a blast in one of the vehicles might have triggered the fire before it spread through the building. Police suspected Friday that an electrical short circuit, possibly linked to an electric scooter being charged, triggered the blaze.
According to police, a PCR call reporting the fire was received at around 2.31 am.
Sourabh Sharma, a resident who claimed to have made the first call to the fire department after being alerted by his daughter, said, “If the woman had noticed the fire, she should have alerted the residents or raised an alarm. This needs to be investigated.”
Meanwhile, the postmortem of the three deceased — Pankaj (28), his sister Soni (20) and their maternal grandmother Sushila (70) — was conducted Saturday. A relative of the family said Guddi, Pankaj’s mother, remained critical, while his sister Moni was recovering.
Three sisters Mumtaz, Kareena and Seema were also injured in the incident. Deepak, Mumtaz’s husband, said his wife was still critical. “She is still in ICU, while doctors said my sisters-in-law would be discharged later in the day,” he said.
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