The death toll in the devastating fire at a hotel in Malviya Nagar has climbed to 22, with one more victim succumbing to injuries on Sunday, police said. The blaze, which broke out on June 3 at Flourish Stay B&B, has also left 28 people injured. Among the deceased are 13 foreign nationals.
Police Investigation Intensifies
On Sunday, Delhi Police took the arrested hotel cook, Keshav Negi, to the site of the fire as part of efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to one of the deadliest fire tragedies in the area. Negi, who worked as a cook at the establishment, was arrested shortly after the incident.
Police officials conducted the site visit while continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. During the probe, authorities reportedly uncovered multiple safety violations and serious deficiencies in the building's fire safety infrastructure.
Arrests and Custody
Earlier, Delhi Police arrested Negi in connection with the incident and detained several other individuals linked to the hotel. On Saturday, he was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class Bhanu Pratap Singh at the Saket court, which granted two days of police custody to facilitate further investigation.
Meanwhile, hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj remains in police custody in connection with the tragedy.
Search for Absconding Manager
The police have also launched an intensive search for Jai Mishra, the hotel's manager, who is absconding and is believed to have played a key role in the operation and management of the establishment where the fire occurred. According to police sources, multiple teams have been deployed across Delhi and neighboring states to trace Mishra. Investigators are using technical surveillance and other methods to determine his whereabouts.
As part of the ongoing probe, police teams are also identifying and locating hotel employees and other workers who were present at or associated with the bed and breakfast at the time of the incident.
