New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- Three contractors have been arrested from Faridabad in connection with the collapse of an under-construction building in Delhi's Chawri Bazar area that killed two labourers and injured at least two others.

The accused, identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, were apprehended from village Sirohi in Faridabad. They are residents of the Ajmeri Gate area in Old Delhi, police said.

The three-storey building, located in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar Metro station, collapsed around 9.45 am on Thursday while its roof slab was being laid, triggering a joint rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the building came crashing down, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said. Rescue teams pulled out four people from the debris. Two labourers, Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), succumbed to their injuries, while Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37) were rescued and taken to hospital. Both were stable and out of danger, police said. Four others had earlier been pulled out by local residents.

Rescue operations continued on Friday, more than 24 hours after the collapse, amid concerns over the stability of adjoining structures. Authorities restricted access to the area as teams continued searching the debris.

The building was allegedly being constructed without the requisite approval on a 50-square-metre plot. An MCD official said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure. The construction had reached the third floor and the building collapsed while the roof slab was being laid. The material used was non-engineered and had not set properly, which eventually led to the collapse, the official said.

Delhi Police had flagged unauthorised construction at the property in June. In a communication dated June 15, the SHO of Hauz Qazi police station had informed the MCD's City Sadar Paharganj Zone about the construction work and identified the landowner and contractor as Furkan.

Police registered an FIR under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, against the building owners and contractors. Further investigation is underway.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.