New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- A Delhi Police investigation into the collapse of a boys paying guest (PG) accommodation in Satya Niketan found that the five-floor building was operated by business partners who leased it in August 2025 and are absconding. A labour contractor, Sanoj, was apprehended in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday and brought to Delhi for arrest. Police said Sanoj allegedly supervised "repair" work in the basement that resulted in the collapse. "The basement floor was being repaired as the waste was getting accumulated during the rainy season for the past 8-10 days. The ground floor was being repaired for extension for commercial purposes," said deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel. A day earlier, police arrested building owner Hariram Gupta (81), wife Urmila (75), and son Mahesh (52) from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. The couple were sent to 14-day judicial custody, while Mahesh was sent to two-day police custody by Patiala House Court. During interrogation, Mahesh allegedly shared a rent agreement between his mother, the building owner, and PG operators Shubham Tyagi and Sudhanshu, both originally from Uttar Pradesh. "It has been revealed that these two men were operating the PG under the name Hostel Daze. At least three more PGs under the same name had been operating in the neighbourhood until the collapse," an officer said. Police are locating all accused "to establish whether they were present at the spot and fled without making any efforts to save the lives of students trapped inside." Investigators found seven rooms across four floors, with two each on the first, second and third floors and one on the fourth, partially converted into accommodation for three students. The ground floor had two shops and a basement, officers added. Documents showed the Gupta family purchased the 55-square-yard property in 1971 for residential use. "The building then had a basement, ground and first floor," a second officer said. After Hariram retired as an Indian Air Force sergeant, two additional floors were constructed, though the year is unclear. Police said they sought civic documents on commercial activity and construction permissions. Locals said the MCD had pasted a notice around six months ago declaring the building dangerous and asking it to be vacated, pending agency confirmation. A third officer said the family planned to lease the ground floor commercially and fill the basement with cement. After the collapse, the family fled to Bhiwadi, leaving two SUVs. "Not only the immediate family in question, nearly 100 relatives also left their homes and switched off their phones," he said. Police said their probe remains limited to the collapsed building, but documents from three other accommodations may be collected to determine whether they were operated by the same partners and involved illegalities....