Fire toll rises to 22 as Nigerian dies, B&B chef taken to premises

New Delhi: The death toll in the Malviya Nagar bed-and-breakfast fire tragedy has risen to 22 after a foreign national, who was under treatment for severe burns, succumbed in a hospital.

Police sources said the deceased, a Nigerian national, had suffered critical injuries. He died early on Sunday. Delhi Police has informed the Nigerian embassy.

According to police sources, 13 of the deceased are foreigners, of whom three are Nigerians. The rest are Indians.

On Sunday, Delhi Police also took Keshav Negi (65), the chef employed at the bed and breakfast, to the fire-ravaged premises for a reconstruction of the scene moments before the blaze.

Police sources said Negi was escorted inside and asked to identify the exact location where the fire had started. He was also questioned about the internal layout, room arrangement and structural features of the establishment. Sources said he was at the site for nearly 40 minutes while investigators reconstructed the sequence of events.

During questioning, Negi allegedly told the investigators that an electrical appliance exploded, triggering the fire that rapidly engulfed the building. Amid the chaos, thick smoke and panic among the occupants, he allegedly switched off the B&B’s main power supply before fleeing the premises.

Investigators suspect that this action by him may have had catastrophic consequences. According to police, the building’s electronic door-locking system became inoperable after the power supply was cut, potentially trapping several occupants inside as smoke and flames spread through the structure.

The role of the power shutdown and its impact on evacuation efforts is being closely examined as part of the investigation.

Earlier, police arrested B&B owner Lovkesh Bajaj and booked him under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Investigators are also searching for Jay Mishra, an associate and accountant linked to the establishment, who has been absconding since the incident. Multiple police teams have been deployed to trace him.

Police said several employees of the B&B, along with other people connected to the property and its operations, are being questioned.