Delhi hotel fire: Owner Lovkesh Bajaj's earlier arrest over Indian IDs for Bangladeshis under lens

NEW DELHI: The owner of the Malviya Nagar hotel where a fire killed 21 people earlier this week had been arrested last year in a case linked to the alleged facilitation of the illegal stay of Bangladeshi nationals in Delhi, police records show, according to news agency PTI.Lovkesh Bajaj, owner of Flourish Stays B&B, is currently in 4-day police custody in connection with the deadly fire that broke out at the south Delhi hotel on Wednesday. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze and are also looking into the role of others involved in running the establishment. According to police, Bajaj was arrested in January 2025 in a case registered at Paharganj police station. The case involved the alleged illegal stay of Bangladeshi nationals who were reportedly using Indian identity documents obtained through fraudulent means. The case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the investigation, police found that two women — Sweety Sarkar, also known as Beauty Hawladar and Johra Khatoon, and her daughter Pushpo Sarkar, also known as Pushpo Hawlader and Puspo Saiyada Akther — along with Pushpo's minor son, were living in Paharganj using allegedly fraudulently obtained Indian documents, including Aadhaar cards and passports.

Investigators said Sweety Sarkar had secured an Indian passport using an address in Chattarpur Enclave in south Delhi. Verification of the address allegedly showed that the property belonged to Bajaj. "During interrogation, Lovekesh Bajaj admitted that he had knowingly permitted the accused persons to use his residential address for obtaining Indian identity documents in lieu of monetary consideration, thereby facilitating their illegal stay in the country," police said. Following the investigation, Bajaj, Sweety Sarkar and Pushpo Sarkar were arrested. Police later filed a chargesheet against all three accused after completing the probe. Officials also submitted a Police Information Report concerning the minor child for action under the law. The details of the earlier case have emerged as police continue to investigate the fire at Flourish Stays, which claimed 21 lives, including several foreign nationals, and injured many others. Bajaj was arrested in the fire case on Wednesday evening. Police told the court they needed his custody to verify details of workers, staff members and others connected to the hotel's operations, as well as to identify people linked to its management. Investigators are also trying to trace and question the hotel's accountant and manager as part of the ongoing probe.