Satya Niketan Collapse: 7 Killed, Elderly Couple Sent to Judicial Custody

A Delhi court on Monday sent an elderly couple arrested in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse, which claimed seven lives, to 14 days of judicial custody, while their son was remanded to police custody for two days.

Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife Urmila Gupta, 75, were sent to judicial custody after being produced before the judge at his residence. Their 52-year-old son, Mahesh Gupta, was sent to two days of police custody.

The decades-old building, which housed a paying guest accommodation for male students, collapsed in Satya Niketan on Sunday, killing seven people.

According to police, the electricity connection of the property was registered in Hariram Gupta's name, while Mahesh Gupta was responsible for its day-to-day management. Property documents showed that the building was registered in Urmila Gupta's name.

Investigators are probing the family's alleged role in operating the PG accommodation and overseeing renovation work being carried out in the basement, which police suspect may have contributed to the collapse.

Hariram Gupta, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, was arrested from Bhiwadi near the Haryana-Rajasthan border while allegedly attempting to evade arrest.

Police are also looking for the operators of the PG accommodation and the labour contractor engaged for the renovation work.

with inputs from PTI