New Delhi : A 17-year-old girl and three others were apprehended for their alleged involvement in the Govindpuri fire tragedy that killed three family members, police said on Sunday. They allegedly set a scooter parked in the building ablaze to “teach a lesson” to a resident over a monetary dispute of around Rs 80,000, police said.The fire broke out around 2:20 am on June 12 in a multi-storey residential building in Tughlakabad Extension, southeast Delhi, killing Pankaj Pandey (28), his sister Sonia (20) and his maternal grandmother Sushila Devi (70), while injuring eight others.
Police said Deepak, who lived on the fifth floor of the fire-wrecked building, allegedly took the money from the accused and refused to return it despite repeated demands, and the accused were allegedly upset with him.
“When their efforts failed, they conspired to teach him a lesson by setting his scooter, parked on the ground floor, on fire. However, the fire spread rapidly to other parked vehicles and engulfed the building, resulting in multiple casualties,” police said.
After the fire incident, police examined CCTV footage of the locality and noticed a masked woman entering the building around 2:23 am, shortly before the fire broke out. Moments later, a bright glow was visible from inside the premises before the woman was seen leaving.
Police said the footage became a crucial lead in the investigation, prompting them to examine the incident as an act of arson instead of an accidental fire.
“During the probe, teams examined CCTV footage from the area and noticed a woman entering the premises shortly before the fire broke out. Based on the evidence collected, police concluded that the blaze was a deliberate act of arson,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.
The investigators identified and apprehended the minor.
During questioning, she allegedly disclosed the involvement of Sarita and the role played by the other accused in planning the incident. The accused allegedly believed that damaging Deepak’s vehicle would compel him to settle the dispute.
“Investigation revealed that Niranjan (33) and his brother Rajkumar (27), both residents of Navjeevan Camp, allegedly hatched the plan because they wanted to pressure Deepak to return money,” the DCP said.
Police said Sarita, Niranjan and Rajkumar were also arrested.
Police initially 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) after the incident and launched a probe. Following the findings, police added sections of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, mischief by fire and lurking house-trespass by night under the BNS.
On June 12, police received a PCR call regarding the fire at 2:31 am and immediately rushed teams to the spot. Firefighters, police and residents launched a rescue operation and evacuated residents trapped inside the smoke-filled building.
Eight people sustained injuries and were shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and Safdarjung Hospital for treatment. Among those critically injured were Pankaj’s mother Guddi Devi (50), who is speech-impaired, and his younger sister Moni (18), police had said earlier.
Police said the investigation established that a short circuit did not cause the fire, as initially suspected, and that evidence pointed to a pre-planned act intended to target a specific person.
Police said further investigation is underway.
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