The Delhi Police has apprehended a 17-year-old girl and three others for their alleged involvement in a fire at a residential building in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri area. The blaze claimed three lives and injured eight people, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Fire Incident Details
The fire broke out at approximately 2:20 am on June 12 at a multi-storey building in Tughlakabad Extension, engulfing the structure from the ground floor to the fifth floor. Eight individuals sustained injuries and were transported to AIIMS Trauma Centre and Safdarjung Hospital for medical treatment. Three members of a family—Pankaj Pandey, his sister Sonia, and maternal grandmother Sushila Devi—succumbed to their injuries.
Investigation and Arrests
Initially, police registered a case under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation. During the probe, teams examined CCTV footage from the area and noticed a woman entering the premises shortly before the fire erupted. Based on the collected evidence, police concluded that the blaze was a deliberate act of arson, according to DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari.
Subsequently, a 17-year-old girl from Navjeevan Camp in Govindpuri was identified and apprehended. During questioning, she allegedly disclosed that a 27-year-old woman named Sarita instigated her to set ablaze a scooter parked in the building. Sarita allegedly provided petrol and a matchbox for the act, motivated by a monetary dispute involving Deepak, a resident of the fifth floor.
Conspiracy Angle
Further investigation revealed that the conspiracy had been orchestrated by Niranjan (33) and his brother Rajkumar (27), both residents of Navjeevan Camp, to settle a personal dispute. Apart from the minor, Sarita, Niranjan, and Rajkumar are being questioned, and the three will be arrested soon, police stated.
Following the findings, police added sections related to criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, attempt to culpable homicide, mischief by fire, and lurking house-trespass by night under the BNS. The minor girl and the three accused have been apprehended, and further investigation is underway.
