January 20, 2024 12:04 am | Updated 12:04 am IST - New Delhi
A day after a fire at a multi-storey residential building in north-west Delhi’s Pitampura killed six people, the kin of the deceased alleged that the “malfunctioning” automatic door locks installed at the residence prevented the victims from escaping the premises. Nuclear Medicine Protection
The fire, which broke out on Thursday night, is suspected to have been caused by a room heater, although the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.
As per Sunil Aggarwal, the brother-in-law of deceased Rakesh Gupta, the casualties were caused by the automatic door locks installed on every floor, which malfunctioned, trapping the victims inside. “The locks malfunctioned after the wiring caught fire. Everyone inside was trapped and suffocated to death,” he said.
Mr. Aggarwal said he only learnt of the deaths at 6 a.m. on Friday morning, after which he and Gupta’s brother, Rajesh, rushed to Ambedkar Hospital, where the victims were taken.
Gupta’s son, Sahil, who was discharged from the hospital after being given first aid treatment, said he noticed smoke emanating from the building while taking a smoke break outside. “I rushed toward the house, but couldn’t enter the building because it was locked from the inside,” he said.
The fire killed six people from three families residing on the third and fourth floors. The victims included third floor residents Rakesh Gupta, 62; his wife Renu, 62; their daughter Shweta, 30; and fourth floor residents Shanu and Kirti Verma, aged 27 and 25, along with their cook, Santosh, 25.
As per Deputy Commissioner of Police (north-west) Jitendra Meena, Shweta worked for an international bank in Gurugram, while the Verma sisters worked at Amazon.
The police, Mr. Meena added, are investigating the matter, with forensic teams collecting evidence from the spot. An FIR, filed under sections 304A (death by negligence), 285 (negligent conduct) and 336 (endangering lives) of the Indian Penal Code, has been registered at the Maurya Enclave police station.
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