Chawri Bazaar Building Collapse: A day after two people were killed and four others injured in the collapse of an under-construction building in Delhi's Chawri Bazaar, three contractors have been arrested from Faridabad.
The arrests come after an initial probe by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) revealed that the building owner had ignored repeated warnings about the structure's deteriorating condition and allegedly misled the authorities. A case has been registered under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the incident.
Several construction workers were trapped under the debris for hours following the collapse. The rescue operation was hampered by the area's dense population and narrow lanes, making it difficult for emergency teams to reach the site.
Who All Have Been Arrested?
The accused have been identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan who were arrested from Sirohi village in Faridabad. They are residents of the Ajmeri Gate area in Old Delhi, PTI reported.
The initial probe revealed that the building owner, identified as Samiullah, had been warned about the deteriorating condition of the structure on April 28. He was directed to carry out strengthening work to improve the building's stability under the supervision of a structural engineer. However, the order explicitly prohibited any fresh construction or reconstruction.
An inspection was also carried out at the site in June. However, the owner allegedly continued construction on the second and third floors under the pretext of carrying out minor repairs. The work was undertaken without permission from the concerned authorities, the probe revealed.
The investigation further revealed that the owner had paid Rs 75,114 in property tax earlier in 2026 under the self-assessment (SUNIYO) scheme. He had declared the property as a Ground Plus Four (G+4) structure spread across 80 square metres. According to the probe, the declaration regarding the additional floor was allegedly made to mislead the authorities.
Delhi Police have registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the building owner and the contractors.
Who All Died?
The three-storey building, which was under construction, collapsed in Chawri Bazaar at around 9:48 am on Thursday. The incident triggered a joint rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
The two deceased were identified as Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), both labourers who died after being pulled out of the debris.
According to the police, Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37) were rescued and taken to hospital. Both were stable and out of danger.
Eyewitnesses Recount Loud Crash, Rush To Rescue Trapped Workers
Residents of Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar recalled hearing a loud crash that echoed through the densely populated neighbourhood on Thursday morning.
As they rushed out of their homes, some jolted awake by the noise and others preparing to leave for work, they saw that a three-storey building under construction had collapsed, trapping several labourers beneath the debris.
"It was a very loud bang. People who usually wake up around 11 am were jolted awake by the noise. At first, we thought some heavy machinery had burst, but then we realised that a building had collapsed," 60-year-old Md Irshad told news agency PTI.
"He was going to come for Chhath Puja," said Virender Kumar, who rushed to Chawri Bazaar after learning that his brother, Pankaj, was trapped under the debris.
Residents said the structure collapsed in stages, with the third floor giving way first, followed by the remaining floors over the next half an hour.
"The third-floor slab fell first. Then, after some time, the other slabs came down," a resident said, describing the sequence of the collapse. The staggered collapse reportedly allowed some workers to escape before the entire structure came down.
Among those who narrowly escaped was Abdul, who was walking through the lane when the building collapsed. He stayed back and helped pull out at least two injured labourers.
"I was passing through the lane when the building collapsed. I narrowly escaped being caught underneath."
Local residents gathered at the spot to help rescue the injured workers. However, the concrete slabs and heavy chunks of masonry were too difficult to move by hand.
"We could hear people trapped underneath, but there was little we could do until the rescue teams arrived," Abdul said.
( With inputs from Agency )