PG operator Shubham Tyagi surrenders in Satya Niketan building collapse case

Absconding accused and paying guest accommodation operator Shubham Tyagi surrendered before the Patiala House Court on Friday in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse that killed seven people, including five students, police said.

Police sought two-day custody of Tyagi for questioning and further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the five-storey building in south Delhi.

According to police, Tyagi was operating a paying guest accommodation in the building and had taken one floor of the property on lease from its owner, Hariram Gupta.

Tyagi had been absconding since the incident, following which police teams searched several locations to trace him.

The development came a day after investigators said they were examining the mobile phone records and online chat history of co-accused Sudhanshu Lovneesh, who is already under arrest. His phone has been sent for forensic examination as police seek to establish what happened immediately after the building collapsed.

The five-storey building in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University's South Campus, collapsed on Sunday while repair and extension work was underway.

Police have arrested Gupta's son Mahesh, labour contractor Sanoj Kumar and Tyagi in connection with the case. Building owner Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife Urmila, 75, are also in judicial custody, police said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers pending disciplinary proceedings.

Investigators are examining whether structural alterations and the repair work being carried out at the building contributed to the collapse.