Three trucks of debris, wall removed on ground floor: New findings in Delhi PG collapse probe

The labour contractor stated that he was hired by the building owner days before the incident. He said that he was engaged in renovation work in the building.

A labour contractor, arrested in connection with the collapse of a boys' paying guest facility in Delhi's Satya Niketan, revealed on Wednesday that three trucks of debris were moved into the basement for renovation work days before the tragedy. He also told Delhi Police that a wall, obstructing space for a shop on the ground floor, was removed on the day of the collapse.

This revelation comes as Delhi is still reeling from the shocking incident in which a five-storey PG building collapsed on Sunday afternoon. (File Photo/ANI)

The revelation comes as the capital is still reeling from the tragic collapse of a five-storey PG building on Sunday afternoon, which killed seven people, including five students and two labourers. Follow live updates on the Delhi building collapse here.

What the labour contractor told police

The labour contractor, Sanoj Kumar (35), a resident of JJ Camp Moti Bagh and a permanent resident of Manikpur village in Bihar's Banka, was apprehended in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj and brought to Delhi, where he was arrested and questioned, according to a senior police official.

During the investigation into the collapse, Sanoj told police that he was hired by building owner Mahesh Gupta around 10 days before the incident.

Around three truckloads of debris (malba) were filled into the basement of the PG building during renovation work to level it with the ground floor days before its collapse.

"There was one wall which was obstructing the space for a shop on the ground floor. On the day of the incident, they removed the said wall to create space. The building could not take the load and ultimately collapsed," the officer said.

PG operator graduated from DU in 2019

The other accused arrested in the case, Sudhanshu Lovneesh, 31, a resident of Bhajanpura, was operating the PG in Satya Niketan with his friend Shubham Tyagi on a lease under the name 'Hostel Daze', police stated.

"During examination, he disclosed that he completed his graduation from Delhi University in the year 2019. Since 2022, he, along with his friend Shubham Tyagi, started operating PG accommodations in the Satya Niketan area under the name and style of "Hostel Daze". Presently, he is running seven PGs in the vicinity," the officer noted.

They had taken four floors of the building on lease in August 2025 for a monthly rent of ₹1.05 lakh. They took the property on rent at comparatively lower rates due to its dilapidated condition, he added.

"He remained ignorant towards the construction work going on despite knowing that it could affect the building as a whole," the official said.

Three accused, building owner Mahesh, labour contractor Sanoj and PG operator Sudhanshu, were produced before a court and two days' police custody was granted. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway.

Delhi building collapse - What happened?

The tragic collapse took place on Sunday afternoon at around 1 pm. The structure housed several students and other residents. In the incident, seven people were killed while several others were injured.

The rent agreement under which the PG was operating has also come under the police scanner.

The agreement stated that the PG operators would not be responsible for any "casualties or risk" to tenants, PTI reported, citing a police source.

Since the incident, a Delhi court sent building owner Hariram, an 81-year-old retired Indian Air Force sergeant, and his 75-year-old wife Urmila to 14 days' judicial custody.

Their son Mahesh, 52, was remanded to police custody for two days.