New Delhi, A PG operator has been arrested in connection with the collapse of a five-storey building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan that left seven people dead, as police are probing the role of the leaseholders of the building on lease and the construction and repair work carried out there, sources said on Wednesday.
The duo subsequently started operating the premises as a paying guest accommodation under the name ‘Hostel Daze’. The development comes as investigators scrutinise the rent agreement under which the PG was being operated. The structure, comprising a ground floor and four upper floors, housed several students and other residents.
Police sources said the building owner Mahesh had leased the property to Sudhanshu and his business partner Shubham Tyagi in August 2025. Police had earlier said the basement had been undergoing repairs for eight to 10 days after waste and water accumulated there following days of rain. On Monday, a Delhi court sent building owner Hariram, an 81-year-old retired Indian Air Force sergeant, and his 75-year-old wife Urmila to 14 days’ judicial custody, while their 52-year-old son Mahesh was remanded to police custody for two days. The collapse occurred around 1 pm on Sunday, and police received information about it at 1.34 pm.
Sudhanshu, one of the two business partners running the ‘Hostel Daze’ PG, was arrested during the investigation and is being questioned by police, sources said. The agreement stated that the PG operators would not be responsible for any “casualties or risk” to tenants, according to a police source. It also purportedly said the hostel would not be liable to pay compensation for personal injury, loss or damage to belongings caused by circumstances beyond its control, including sealing, fire, earthquake and heavy rain.
