Police probe role of masked woman spotted on CCTV

Delhi Police is investigating the role of a masked woman captured on CCTV entering a residential building in Delhi’s Govindpuri moments before a devastating fire claimed three lives early Friday morning, officials said on Saturday.

According to investigators, CCTV footage from a camera installed in a parking area in Gali No. 1 of Tughlakabad Extension shows a woman, her face covered, entering the five-storey building around 2.23 am.

Police said the nearly 50-second footage shows the woman entering the premises, after which a bright glow or flash is visible from inside the gate. She is then seen leaving the building and walking away. The fire was reported minutes later.

“The footage is being closely examined, and all possible angles are under investigation. The woman’s identity has not yet been established, and police are working to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the fire,” an official said.

The blaze killed Pankaj (28), his grandmother Sushila Devi (70), and his sister Soni (20). Two other family members, Pankaj’s mother Guddi (50) and younger sister Moni (18), sustained critical burn injuries and are undergoing treatment.

Police said a PCR call regarding the fire was received at 2.31 am. Firefighters and police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation, evacuating several residents trapped inside the smoke-filled building.

Initial inquiries had suggested that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit on the ground floor, where several parked two-wheelers caught fire. However, the CCTV footage prompted investigators to examine the possibility of foul play as well. Forensic experts and local police teams inspected the scene and are analysing technical and physical evidence collected from the building.