The owner of a building in Mundka, where a massive fire left 27 people dead last week, was arrested from Ghevra More, near the Haryana-Delhi border. The accused has been identified as Manish Lakra, a property dealer who was residing on the top floor of the building with his mother, wife and their two children.
Delhi Police said, Lakra came home, asked his wife to make tea, sensed something was burning and realised the building was engulfed in fire. After making a few calls to his relatives, he escaped with his family through another building. Cops are probing whether Lakra had shut the top floor door which, if left opened, could have saved lives.
Cops said multiple raids were conducted in Delhi and Haryana, which led them to the accused. They are now looking for other members of his family who are absconding. Lakra had built two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom on the top floor of the building, police said. “Inquiry revealed that the building originally belonged to his father, who died in 2015. The property then passed to Lakra. Apart from Lakra, Harish Goel and his brother Varun, owners of a company that was operating in the building, were also arrested earlier.
Only 8 identified
Officials and families were having difficulty in identifying the bodies – 21 women and six men – since all of them are charred. By the end of the day, only eight bodies had been identified. The rest, besides some of the ones already identified, may have to undergo DNA profiling for confirmation.
CM announces relief
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an immediate financial relief of Rs 10,00,000 for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured. Announcing an inquiry, the chief minister said that his government will ensure “strictest possible punishment” for those responsible. “Once we get the inquiry report, no culprit will be spared,” he said.
