Building in Delhi's Tughlakabad set ablaze on purpose over ₹50,000 debt; 3 held

ALifelessly go off in a southeastward new delhi’s Tughlakabad file name extension on Friday was not an accident but a planned arson over a ₹50,000 debt — and the man it was meant to target survived, while three residents with no connection to the dispute died, police said on Sunday.Four people, including a 17-year-old girl, have been held over the blaze in five-storey building, which broke out at about 2.24am on Friday. The girl allegedly poured petrol on a scooter belonging to Deepak, a resident of the building’s fifth floor, and set it alight to settle scores over money he owed, police said. Deepak was not at home when the incident took place as he was travelling, officers said.The fire began in the ground-floor parking area and smoke filled the five-storey building within minutes, trapping residents on the upper floors — the staircase was the only way down, and the roof was locked. The three who died were identified as Sushila Devi, 70, her grandson Pankaj Pandey, 28, and her granddaughter Soni, 20, who lived elsewhere in the building and were not related to Deepak. The teenager has been apprehended and three adults arrested — a 27-year-old woman, Sarita, and two brothers, Niranjan, 33, and Rajkumar, 27, deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said. The brothers are cousins of Deepak and, police said, have several criminal cases against them.The fire was first recorded as an accident, possibly an electrical short circuit, and a case was registered at Govindpuri police station on Friday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) covering causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with fire.ALSO READ | ‘Mystery’ woman caught on CCTV entering building before fire in Delhi's TughlakabadThe investigation turned after CCTV footage emerged showing a figure, face covered with a dupatta, entering the building shortly before the fire and leaving within minutes, a senior police officer aware of the matter, who asked not to be named, said.That footage led police to the teenager, and through her to the others, Tiwari said.Investigators are still searching for any camera that may have caught the scooter being set alight, and have no footage of the act itself, the officer cited above said.ALSO READ | Ladders, saree pulleys: Neighbours turn rescuers after fire at building in Delhi's TughlakabadThe case, the officer said, rests on the entry-and-exit footage and on burns to the girl’s leg that she is said to have suffered while starting the fire.According to police, Deepak had borrowed ₹50,000 from Sarita some months earlier and had not repaid it.Niranjan, who was in a relationship with Sarita, was in jail at the time and needed the money for his bail, Tiwari said.When repeated demands failed, Niranjan directed the plan to torch Deepak’s scooter from custody, the DCP said; he and Sarita brought in Rajkumar, who in turn drew in the 17-year-old, a friend.The plan was hatched about a week earlier, the officer cited above said.The girl was taken on a reconnaissance of the building and shown Deepak’s scooter, where he parked it, and how to start the fire; on the night of the fire, Sarita rode her to the building and took her home afterwards, the officer said. The petrol came from Sarita’s own scooter, siphoned for the purpose, according to officer Tiwari.ALSO READ | Delhi Tughlakabad fire: Three sisters, who planned to shift on the day, have narrow escapeOnce the roles of the four were established, police added sections to the First Information Report covering criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, attempt to commit culpable homicide, mischief by fire, and lurking house-trespass by night, Tiwari said.Eight people were pulled out of the building by police, firefighters and neighbours and taken to Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS Trauma Centre, where Sushila Devi, Pankaj and Soni died, Tiwari said.Two other members of the same family, Guddi Devi, 50, and Mani, 18, were injured but are out of danger, and three women on the top floor — Mumtaz and her two sisters — were also hurt, police said.On Sunday, police took Deepak in for questioning and to confront him with the accused.Mumtaz is reportedly his wife. His family have given police a different account of the motive, saying Niranjan and Sarita bore a grudge because Deepak had asked Niranjan to cut off all contact with Sarita.Police are treating the debt as the primary motive.