Hauz Rani blaze: Facility accountant tells investigators he is owner only on paper

The Hauz Rani B&B accountant claims he operated under employer Bajaj's direction. A fire killed 22; both face scrutiny over mismanagement.

The 34-year-old accountant of the Hauz Rani bed-and-breakfast (B&B), where a blaze killed 22 people, has told investigators that he was the owner of the establishment only on paper and was operating the business on the directions of his employer, Lovkesh Bajaj, for the past two years, according to at least two senior police officials aware of the case.

The fire erupted at a B&B facility in malviya Nagar last week. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The officials cited above said that Jay Mishra, who was arrested on Monday, has told investigators that he applied for the B&B registration for Flourish Stay in May 2024 at Bajaj’s behest, presenting himself as the owner in official documentation, but was never a business partner or receiving any share in Bajaj’s businesses.

“Mishra claimed he was only working as an accountant for Bajaj and was being paid ₹20,000 as monthly salary. He said he was handling finances and other business-related matters as asked by Bajaj. He has told us that he was not responsible for any shortcomings such as lack of fire safety arrangements and an emergency exit,” said the first officer cited above.

Officials said Bajaj, arrested on June 3, had earlier allegedly told investigators that Mishra was “handling the day-to-day operations” and that he “did not have time to visit and manage the business.” Investigators cited above said that Bajaj’s testimony appeared to present Mishra as the sole person to blame for all mismanagement.

“We will conduct a joint interrogation of Mishra and Bajaj and confront them with their countering claims and allegations against each other Our objective is to fix responsibility for the deadly fire that claimed 22 innocent lives. The documents pertaining to the business establishment have been obtained and are being examined,” said a second officer.

What the FIR says

HT has seen the FIR registered at Malviya Nagar police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, mischief, and negligent conduct with respect to fire. The case was registered on the complaint of inspector Subhash Chand Yadav, with nobody named as suspect.

“Inquiry revealed the building’s name is ‘Flourish Stay’ and the owner is Lovkesh Bajaj and others, and he had been managing it himself. Bajaj was not found at the spot and his phone was also switched off. No staffers were found present at the scene. The building’s checking showed 23 rooms built for guests,” the inspector noted.

Investigators have asked forensic experts to examine if an explosion in an electronic appliance such as a deep freezer or refrigerator compressor in the kitchen caused the blaze to spread quickly.

The officerssaidthe fire broke out between 8:30am and 8:40am on June 3, when the facility’s 65-year-old cook, Keshav Negi, was frying snacks in the kitchen on the ground floor. “The personnel told us that when they, along with locals, began rescuing guests trapped in the building’s upper floors, the fire was only inside the establishment. Then later around 9.05am, they heard a loud sound, similar to an explosion in something, after which flames suddenly emerged from the ground floor’s entry-exit door,” said an investigator.

Negi allegedly fled as he panicked, making no effort to douse the blaze or alert authorities. He was arrested and sent to jail. The facility’s manager, Rupesh, also disappeared and remains absconding, according to officials probing the case.

Police and locals were rescuing guests stuck on upper floors when, at 9:05 am, the fire suddenly emerged from the ground floor after an alleged explosion, engulfing the front portion of the building and forcing rescuers to step aside.

“We are trying to establish what led to that explosion,” an investigator said.