Following a devastating fire that killed 21 people, including many foreign nationals, at the Flourish Stays Bed and Breakfast hotel in Delhi's Malaviya Nagar, police have arrested the hotel's cook, attributing the blaze to his negligence, and have detained several others connected to the hotel's operations and management. Preliminary investigations have uncovered significant fire safety violations, including sealed windows that prevented smoke escape and a locked basement entrance that impeded rescue efforts, with most victims believed to have died from suffocation. Authorities are also investigating potential causes such as short circuits and electrical overloading, and have previously arrested the hotel owner, Lovekesh Bajaj, who is in police custody, while searching for his absconding accountant.

Following a devastating fire that killed 21 people, including many foreign nationals, at the Flourish Stays Bed and Breakfast hotel in Delhi's Malaviya Nagar, police have arrested the hotel's cook, attributing the blaze to his negligence, and have detained several others connected to the hotel's operations and management. Preliminary investigations have uncovered significant fire safety violations, including sealed windows that prevented smoke escape and a locked basement entrance that impeded rescue efforts, with most victims believed to have died from suffocation. Authorities are also investigating potential causes such as short circuits and electrical overloading, and have previously arrested the hotel owner, Lovekesh Bajaj, who is in police custody, while searching for his absconding accountant.

Following a devastating fire that killed 21 people, including many foreign nationals, at the Flourish Stays Bed and Breakfast hotel in Delhi's Malaviya Nagar, police have arrested the hotel's cook, attributing the blaze to his negligence, and have detained several others connected to the hotel's operations and management. Preliminary investigations have uncovered significant fire safety violations, including sealed windows that prevented smoke escape and a locked basement entrance that impeded rescue efforts, with most victims believed to have died from suffocation. Authorities are also investigating potential causes such as short circuits and electrical overloading, and have previously arrested the hotel owner, Lovekesh Bajaj, who is in police custody, while searching for his absconding accountant.

Delhi Police have arrested the cook of a hotel in Malviya Nagar where a devastating fire earlier this week claimed 21 lives. The arrest came after preliminary investigations revealed that the cook’s negligence had led to the blaze.

Police have also detained several other individuals linked to the operations and management of Flourish Stays Bed and Breakfast hotel as they piece together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.

Investigators are examining alleged fire safety violations, unauthorised expansion of rooms, and the role of those responsible for the property's day-to-day functioning.

According to an ANI report citing sources, the building's windows and glass panels had been completely sealed, preventing smoke from escaping during the fire. Investigators also found that the entrance to the basement was locked from the inside, significantly hampering rescue efforts.

Rescue teams reportedly took nearly 10 minutes to gain access to the basement, from where six to seven people were eventually evacuated. A preliminary forensic assessment suggests that most victims died of suffocation rather than burn injuries. Officials also recovered several fire extinguishers from the premises, but they appeared not to have been used during the emergency.

Investigators are also examining the possibility of a short circuit, electrical overloading and other technical factors that may have contributed to the blaze.

The victims included 17 foreign nationals from Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Iraq, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Liberia.

Police had earlier arrested hotel owner Lovekesh Bajaj in connection with the case. Investigators are also searching for Jay Mishra, a long-time associate and accountant of Bajaj, who has been absconding since the incident.

Bajaj has been remanded to four days of police custody as the investigation continues into one of the deadliest hotel fires in the capital in recent years.