New Delhi: Delhi Police on Sunday said it has arrested three people including the absconding owner of a building in outer Delhi's Mundka, where a massive fire broke out leaving 27 including 21 women, dead. The blaze started on the first floor of the four-storey building on Friday.
"We have arrested the absconding building owner Manish Lakra and two company owners Harish Goel and Vijay Goel after conducting raids in Delhi and Haryana," said Sameer Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer). Lakhra is a resident of Mundka village, he said. Nineteen people are still missing and there was little hope of finding survivors."
"27 are dead. 8 identified so far. DNA samples were collected and the identification process is underway. Building's fire NOC was not taken. "The company was run on rent in the building and used to make CCTVs and 4G routers. The fire broke out during the sales motivation programme," he said.
It is suspected that an explosion in an air conditioner may have triggered the fire, which started on the first floor of the commercial building. At least 50 people were rescued from the building and around 29 are reported to be missing, the police have said. Twenty-four of the missing people are women and the police said DNA tests will be conducted soon to identify the bodies.
Also read: Illegal structures, scant regard for fire safety norms led to loss of lives in fires in Delhi
