Death toll in the Malviya Nagar bed-and-breakfast fire has climbed to 22 with the demise of a Nigerian national.
13 of the deceased are foreigners, of whom three are Nigerians, according to police sources. On Sunday, Delhi Police also took Keshav Negi (65), the chef employed at the bed and breakfast, to the fire-ravaged premises for a reconstruction of the scene moments before the blaze. Sources said he was at the site for nearly 40 minutes while investigators reconstructed the sequence of events.
Police sources said the deceased, a Nigerian national, had suffered critical injuries. Police sources said Negi was escorted inside and asked to identify the exact location where the fire had started. Delhi Police has informed the Nigerian embassy. The rest are Indians. He was also questioned about the internal layout, room arrangement and structural features of the establishment. Investigators are also searching for Jay Mishra, an associate and accountant linked to the establishment, who has been absconding since the incident. Multiple police teams have been deployed to trace him.
Earlier, police arrested B&B owner Lovkesh Bajaj and booked him under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He died early on Sunday.
Death Toll Rises in Malviya Nagar Fire Incident
NEW DELHI: The death toll from the Malviya Nagar bed-and-breakfast fire has increased to 22 following the death of a foreign national who was receiving treatment for severe burns in a hospital. Investigators are scrutinizing the role of a power shutdown and its effects on evacuation efforts during the incident.