Delhi Police investigation revealed renovation work weakened the Satya Niketan building structure (File photo)
Renovation work was carried out at the building around 10 days before the incident on the instructions of Mahesh Gupta, news agency ANI reported, according to the investigation. Labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, 35, who was allegedly hired for the renovation work, was apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh and subsequently arrested in the case. During questioning, Sanoj allegedly told police that Mahesh Gupta paid him Rs 2,800 per day for carrying out the renovation work, ANI reported.
Police said the work involved levelling the basement with the ground floor, for which around three truckloads of construction debris were filled into the basement. The structural changes, coupled with the additional load in the basement, allegedly affected the building’s stability, leading to the collapse, police said. On the day of the collapse, a wall on the ground floor was allegedly removed to create additional space for a shop.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police investigation into the Satya Niketan building collapse has revealed the sequence of renovation work that allegedly weakened the structure before it came crashing down, officials said on Wednesday.