Delhi fire tragedy: Cook arrested over negligence that led to hotel blaze killing 21
Keshav Negi is the cook at the Flourish Inn hotel in Malviya Nagar where the fire broke out on Wednesday morning. 21 guests, including nine Indians and 12 foreigners, were killed in the fire.
PTC News Desk: The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested the cook of the Malviya Nagar hotel where a devastating fire killed 21 people on Wednesday, including 13 foreign nationals after investigators concluded that the blaze was caused by the cook's negligence.
“The investigation revealed that the fire was caused due to the cook’s negligence. The police have also taken some other individuals into custody. Questioning is ongoing. One person has been arrested, and another is in custody."
Keshav Negi is the cook at the Flourish Inn hotel in Malviya Nagar where the fire broke out on Wednesday morning. 21 guests, including nine Indians and 12 foreigners, were killed in the fire.
According to investigators, hotel cook Keshav Negi fled the premises after a fire broke out in an attempt to save himself. In his statement, Negi claimed that the blaze started when an electric stove in the kitchen exploded moments after he switched it on. He said he then shut off the hotel's main power supply and escaped through thick smoke.
However, the police probe has revealed that cutting the power may have triggered the hotel's electronic doors to lock, trapping several guests inside the building. Among the victims were a husband and wife who reportedly suffocated to death in a bathroom after being unable to open the door and escape.
Police sources believe Negi's decision to switch off the main power supply may have contributed to the tragedy, as several occupants were unable to get out while the fire rapidly spread through the hotel. Investigators are now reconstructing the sequence of events and questioning hotel employees as well as others linked to the property.
The blaze, the deadliest fire incident in Delhi since 2022, claimed at least 21 lives and left around a dozen people injured.
Earlier police had formally arrested the owner of the Malviya Nagar hotel, while the cook remains in police custody. As the investigation into the case deepens, police have also detained several other individuals.