New Delhi: Investigators probing the Malviya Nagar hotel fire tragedy have found that the building’s roof exit was closed at the time of the blaze, potentially blocking a crucial escape route for occupants, sources said.
As the investigation intensifies, Delhi Police has formed 10 teams to probe the incident. Five teams have been tasked with tracing and apprehending absconding hotel manager Jai Mishra, while the remaining teams are handling various aspects of the investigation.
According to sources, before the arrest of hotel owner Lavkesh Sharma on Wednesday, police had issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him and his wife as a precautionary measure to prevent them from leaving the country.
Investigators reportedly believed Sharma had the means to flee abroad, as both of his children are settled overseas. Sources added that he is the sole owner of the building.
The investigation also revealed that the hotel initially operated as a two-storey structure and was later expanded with an additional two-and-a-half floors.
A team from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) is scheduled to revisit the site on Thursday for further examination. During its previous visit, the forensic team was able to inspect only one floor.
Investigators have recovered cooking heaters and other electrical appliances from several rooms. Sources said these were allegedly being used by foreign nationals staying at the hotel for extended periods.
The fire claimed multiple lives, with fatalities reported among people on the third floor and in the basement. According to sources, most of the victims died due to suffocation.
Police are also searching for a key eyewitness, Kesar Singh, whose testimony is considered crucial in determining the exact sequence of events and the origin of the fire.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has identified nine of the 12 foreign nationals who died in the tragedy.
The list of the deceased foreign nationals has been shared with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate the repatriation of their bodies to their respective countries.
The identification process was carried out using passports recovered from the site.
Police have also completed DNA profiling of all the foreign nationals after obtaining the necessary permissions from their respective embassies.
Post-mortem examinations of the victims were conducted following approval from the embassies concerned.
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