Mundka fire: Delhi court grants one-day police custody of Manish Lakra, 2 others

The fire had broken out in a four-storey building near Mundka metro station on April 13. Lakra, the owner of the building, was arrested two days later.

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted one-day police custody of Manish Lakra and two other accused in the deadly Mundka fire case that claimed the lives of at least 27 people last week. The two other accused are Harish Goyal and Varun Goyal.

NDRF personnel clear the charred debris from a burnt floor a day after a fire broke out in a commercial building at Mundka, New Delhi. (HT PHOTO.)

The fire had broken out in a four-storey building near Mundka metro station on April 13. Lakra, the owner of the building, was arrested two days later.

The Goyals, owners of the company where the fire is suspected to have started, were arrested earlier.

According to preliminary investigation, various lapses, including lack of fire fighting equipment and a blocked staircase, had led to the tragedy. An officer said the building housed a warehouse in the basement where highly combustible items were stored.

The Delhi Police said it had collected samples of 26 people, whose family members are believed to be killed in the fire, for DNA profiling.

"A total of 26 samples have been collected for DNA profiling, which will be carried out by forensic experts," a senior police officer said.

Lakra used to live on the fourth floor of the commercial building with his mother, wife, and two children. He managed to escape to the adjacent building along with his family members when the fire broke out, police had earlier said.

(With agency inputs)