Hotel Owner Lovkesh Bajaj Arrested Hours After 21 Killed In Horrific Fire At Malviya Nagar's Flourish Stay

New Delhi: Hotel Flourish Stay co-owner Lovkesh Bajaj has been arrested by the Delhi Police hours after a massive fire claimed the lives of 21 people at the bed-and-breakfast (B&B) establishment in South Delhi’s congested Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning. This comes after a Look-Out Circular (LOC) against Bajaj, who had been evading arrest since the tragedy occurred.

9 Indians, 12 Foreigners Killed

Among the 21 people killed by the horrific fire, nine were Indians and 12 were foreigners, mostly from Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

The Indian nationals who lost their lives have been identified as:

• Shrutika Barnwal
• Tarjani Aggarwal
• Varya Aggarwal
• Jhaveri Aggarwal
• Vivek Aggarwal
• Ashok Aggarwal
• Kamla Aggarwal
• Prem Lata Aggarwal
• Jivisha Aggarwal

Max Healthcare Group Medical Director Dr Sandeep Budhiraja said that the injured people admitted to hospital had two or three types of injuries: lung injuries, minor burns, and bone injuries. "Because many patients claimed they jumped from high buildings, the resulting fractures were long bone fractures and pelvic bone fractures. One patient has a spinal injury and is undergoing neurosurgery," Budhiraja said.

Lapses At Lovkesh Bajaj's Hotel

Initial investigations into the tragedy exposed glaring regulatory breaches at Lovkesh Bajaj's hotel. Reports indicate that while the property held a license to operate only six rooms under the government's Bed & Breakfast scheme, the management had illegally expanded the facility to house nearly 25 rooms.

Furthermore, investigators discovered that guests were being accommodated in the basement, drastically compounding the safety risks.

An opening investigation also revealed that all the windows in the building had been permanently sealed, trapping the occupants inside and choking off vital escape routes as smoke engulfed the rooms.