PG ‘operator’ was 90m away, fled area: Police

Satya Niketan’s “Hostel Daze” paying guest operator, Sudhanshu Loveneesh, was allegedly just 90 metres away at his office when the illegally built building collapsed on September 6 and left the area, fearing the locals would beat him up, police said on Wednesday

Satya Niketan’s “Hostel Daze” paying guest operator, Sudhanshu Loveneesh, was allegedly just 90 metres away at his office when the illegally built building collapsed on September 6 and left the area, fearing the locals would beat him up, police said on Wednesday.

Loveneesh and his business partner, Shubham Tyagi, ran the PG facility in the building that collapsed, killing seven people and injuring several others (Hindustan Times)

Loveneesh and his business partner, Shubham Tyagi, ran the PG facility in the building that collapsed, killing seven people and injuring several others. A police officer familiar with the matter said that when the building collapsed, Loveneesh was at his office about 90 metres away. “A person known to him called him, but instead of coming to the spot, he made a few calls and left the area. We are obtaining his call detail records. He didn’t come to the spot, fearing that locals would beat him up,” the officer said.

The officer said it is yet to be determined whether Tyagi was in the neighbourhood. Multiple teams are searching for him, and police are examining his role, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of police (South West) Amit Goel said that Loveneesh, 31, a resident of Bhajanpura in northeast Delhi, completed his graduation from Delhi University’s Hansraj College in 2019 and started operating PG accommodations with his friend Tyagi in Satya Niketan in 2022 under the name “Hostel Daze”.

“The two are presently running seven such accommodations in Satya Niketan and had taken the “Hostel Daze” building on lease in August 2025 in lieu of ₹1,05,000 per month,” the DCP said.

The building was leased at a below-market rate due to its “dilapidated condition”. “Loveneesh remained ignorant towards the repair and construction work despite knowing that it could affect the building as a whole,” Goel said.

Another officer, on the condition of anonymity, said that after the accused took the building on lease in August last year, they made no structural changes and “only painted the walls, installed second-hand air conditioners, beds, almirahs and tables”.

Police arrested Sanoj Kumar from Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday. He was the labour contractor whom the owner, Mahesh Gupta, had hired to construct and repair the shops on the ground floor and basement. “He disclosed that he was engaged in renovation work in the building by Gupta around 10 days back. The work was to bring the basement and the ground floor to the same level. Around three trucks of debris were filled in the basement,” the DCP said.

According to police, he allegedly told investigators that Gupta was paying him ₹2,800 per day. “There was one wall which was obstructing the space for a shop on the ground floor. On the day of the incident, they removed that wall to create space. The building could not take the load and ultimately collapsed,” the DCP said.

A second officer, on condition of anonymity, said that at the time of the incident, Kumar and his team of labourers had gone out for lunch, which saved them all. “He had been coming to the site every day. He had come on Sunday too. But minutes before the incident, he and his team of labourers had gone for lunch,” the officer said.

Kumar told investigators that he returned to the spot after the building collapsed, but he and those associated with him allegedly left.

Another revelation that emerged during the probe was that Gupta had rented one of the two ground-floor shops to a person who wanted to open a grocery store. “During the probe, it has been revealed that Gupta had rented the shop and the person was carrying out some work inside the building with the help of four labourers,” the officer said.

The four labourers — Krishna, 30, Asgar Ali, 49, Surender Singh, 56, and Param Lal Kori, 30 — were not employed by labour contractor Kumar, the second officer said. “They were employed by the man to whom the shop was rented out. They were making racks for the shop when the building collapsed,” the officer said. Singh and Kori succumbed to their injuries, Krishna was discharged, and Ali is still recuperating.

The officer clarified that the labourers’ work played no role in the collapse.