A Delhi court ordered the 81‑year‑old Hariram Gupta and his 75‑year‑old wife Urmila Gupta to 14 days of judicial custody, while their 52‑year‑old son Mahesh Gupta was remanded to two days of police custody after they appeared before the judge.
The order follows the collapse of a 55‑square‑metre building in Satya Niketan on Sunday, which housed a paying‑guest accommodation for boys. The structure, reportedly lacking columns or beams, collapsed and killed seven people; twelve others were rescued from the debris.
Police say the building’s electricity connection was in Hariram’s name, while Mahesh handled its day‑to‑day management. The property was registered in Urmila’s name, and investigators are probing the family’s involvement in running the PG and in renovations carried out in the basement, which may have contributed to the collapse.
Hariram Gupta, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, was arrested in Bhiwadi on the Haryana‑Rajasthan border while on the run. Police are also searching for the PG operators and the labour contractor involved in the renovation. A case was registered at South Campus Police Station under charges including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure and endangering the safety of others. The investigation is verifying claims that the building had been sealed last year, a claim denied by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and is examining a rent agreement that allegedly absolved the owner of responsibility.
