Retired IAF sergeant, wife and son arrested in Delhi building collapse case

PTI, September 7, 2026, New Delhi: An 81-year-old retired IAF Sergeant, his wife, and his son were arrested on Monday in connection with the collapse of a building in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan, police said.

Under probe is the family's role in running the paying guest accommodation and the renovation work underway in the basement, which likely caused the building's collapse.

The three have been identified as 81-year-old Hariram Gupta, his 75-year-old wife Urmila Gupta, and their 52-year-old son Mahesh Gupta.

Hariram, initially believed to be the property's owner, was nabbed in Bhiwadi on the Haryana-Rajasthan border while on the run.

According to the police, documents revealed Urmila as the property's owner, while Hariram and Mahesh managed the PG.

Hariram, a retired Sergeant from the Indian Air Force, has electricity connections for two floors of the building in his name, while Mahesh runs a hardware and paint shop in the area.

According to the local police, Hariram is a resident of Sector-23, Gurugram, and has another son who is a pilot.

The family's neighbours found their house locked and Mahesh's paint shop, 'Hari Paints', shut, all within hours of the collapse.

One neighbour claimed Hariram owns at least four more properties in Gurugram, though admitting he knew nothing about the building in Satya Niketan.

The police are likely to seek the remand of Mahesh, who was allegedly handling the day-to-day operations of the PG, a source said.

They are also searching for the PG operators and the labour contractor involved in the renovation.

The decades-old, five-storey building, which had two rooms on each floor with two beds in each room, housed a boys' PG near Delhi University's South Campus.

Not all rooms were occupied, police sources said.

Renovation work was underway in the basement when the building collapsed around 1.30 pm on Sunday.

The basement had a chronic waterlogging issue.

The police are also verifying claims that the building was sealed last year, even as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has denied that any such action took place.

A police source said the structure, spread over around 55 square metres, had no columns and beams.

A copy of a rent agreement that allegedly contains a clause absolving the owner of responsibility is also under the police scanner, the source said.

Whether the family owned or operated any other PG facility in the area is also under probe.

According to authorities, the rescue operation at the site is over.