New Delhi: The Delhi Police have made a fifth arrest in connection with the deadly Satya Niketan building collapse, while civic authorities have begun the phased demolition of an adjoining structure declared unsafe.
The latest accused, paying guest accommodation operator Sudhanshu, was arrested during the ongoing investigation. Police said building owner’s son Mahesh Gupta told investigators that he had leased the property to Sudhanshu and his business partner Shubham Tyagi in August 2025. The duo allegedly ran the premises as a paying guest facility under the name “Hostel Daze”.
According to the investigation, the operators paid Mahesh Gupta a monthly rent of ₹1.05 lakh. Tyagi is currently missing and remains wanted by the police.
The five people arrested so far are 81 year old building owner Hariram Gupta, his wife Urmila Gupta, their son Mahesh Gupta, labour contractor Sanoj and PG operator Sudhanshu.
The five storey building, estimated to be around 50 years old, collapsed within seconds on Sunday afternoon. Seven people were killed and six others injured in the incident. The premises reportedly accommodated nearly 75 students in paying guest rooms.
Following the collapse, civic authorities inspected nearby structures and found the adjoining building weakened and unsafe. Demolition work has now begun in a controlled, phase wise manner to prevent further risk.
The incident has also triggered a wider crackdown on unauthorised construction across Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to conduct demolition drives against illegal structures and ordered senior civic officials to supervise the action on the ground.
Authorities have also been instructed to carry out extensive inspections of paying guest accommodations and hostels across the capital. Officials will examine building records to establish when alleged unauthorised construction was carried out and determine which authority was responsible for the property at that time.
