Gurugram, Sep 7 (PTI) Behind bars over alleged neglect of the building that collapsed on Sunday in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, Hariram Gupta’s family enjoys a good reputation in their Gurugram neighbourhood, if neighbours are to be believed.
Hariram, the 81-year-old ex-IAF sergeant, was nabbed on Monday in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi while on the run. His wife, Urmila, 75, and Son Mahesh, 52, were also arrested.
According to neighbours, soon after the collapse in Delhi that killed seven, there was a lock on Gupta’s house.
No one came out when the doorbell rang. A Toyota Fortuner was still parked inside the house.
Although most of his neighbours declined to share much, Gaurav, who lives in the same Sector 23 locality, vouched for the family’s civic conduct but said no more.
‘Hari Paints’, son Mahesh’s shop, was also shut.
Vinod Kumar, a painter, who stood outside the shop, said he has been purchasing painting supplies from there for a long time.
He found nothing amiss about the shop’s closure, but then he was told about the collapse.
Another neighbour, S K Sharma, said Hariram has been living in Sector 23 for several years and the family enjoys a good reputation among locals. He claimed Gupta owns four or five properties in Gurugram, but admitted to know nothing about the building in Satya Niketan in Delhi.
Hariram has another son who is a pilot, the neighbour said.
Seven people died, and five were injured in the collapse of the building, being run as a boys’ paying guest, near Delhi University’s South Campus on Sunday.
Twelve people were pulled out of the debris, of whom seven died.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said it is probing the family’s role in running the paying guest accommodation and the renovation work underway in the basement, which likely caused the building’s collapse.
According to the police, documents revealed Urmila as the property’s owner, while Hariram and Mahesh managed the PG.
Hariram has electricity connections for two floors of the building in his name, while Mahesh runs a hardware and paint shop, the police said.
A case against the three accused was filed at the South Campus Police Station under charges including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure and endangering the safety of others. PTI COR VN VN
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