Delhi building collapse: PG operator, Sudhanshu, arrested as CM orders bulldozer action on illegal construction

Days after a building collapse in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area claimed seven lives, police have arrested one of the operators of the boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation that was being run from the premises. The five-storey building was operated by two business partners who had taken the property on lease in August 2025. One of the operators, identified as Sudhanshu, was apprehended by police on Wednesday morning. His business partner, identified as Shubham Tyagi, remains on the run.

According to a rent agreement shared by the arrested owner’s son, who is also in police custody, the two PG operators were identified as Shubham Tyagi and Sudhanshu. Both men are originally from UP. Police had earlier apprehended labour contractor Sanoj, who was allegedly supervising repair work in the basement of the building. The work is suspected to have contributed to the collapse. Seven people, including five students, were killed when the building came crashing down on Sunday afternoon.

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“The basement floor was being repaired as the waste was getting accumulated during the rainy season for the past 8-10 days. The ground floor was being repaired for extension for commercial purposes,” said deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel. Delhi Police arrested the property owners, 81-year-old Hariram Bansal, his 75-year-old wife Urmila Gupta and their 52-year-old son Mahesh Gupta, from Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi on Monday.

Bansal and his wife were sent to 14-day judicial custody, while their son, whom police said administered the building, was sent to two-day police custody. During interrogation, Mahesh Gupta handed over the rent agreement between his mother, the building owner, and the two PG operators. The two men were reportedly running the accommodation under the name Hostel Daze.

“At least three more PGs under the same name had been operating in the neighbourhood until the collapse,” said one officer aware of the details of the investigation. The investigation is continuing, with police examining the role of the PG operators, property owners, labour contractor and others involved in the building's maintenance and renovation work.

CM orders bulldozer action on illegal construction

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to launch a crackdown on illegal construction across several parts of the city, days after a PG accommodation collapse claimed seven lives. Gupta also instructed all senior MCD officials to remain on the ground and oversee the demolition drive. She ordered authorities to carry out intensive inspections of PG hostels across Delhi and take strict action against unauthorised construction. The CM further directed officials to scrutinise building records to determine when the illegal structures were constructed and identify the jurisdiction under which the unauthorised work was carried out.