- Delhi Police arrested hotel cook Keshav Negi over the deadly fire that killed 21 guests
- Police sources: Negi's negligence caused the fire to spread rapidly at Flourish Inn
- Negi fled after the stove exploded; electronic doors got locked after power was cut
Three days after the deadly fire at a Delhi hotel killed 21 guests, the Delhi Police have arrested the hotel cook Keshav Negi.
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.
Sources have told NDTV that the fire at the hotel spread due to Negi's negligence. Along with Negi, several other people have also been detained in the case and are being questioned. The hotel owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, had already been arrested by the police.
Police sources said initial investigation shows the fire spread rapidly due to the negligence of cook Keshav Negi.
Keshav Negi had fled the hotel after the fire to save his life. After the incident, the cook had told NDTV that as soon as he turned on the electric stove in the kitchen, it exploded leading to a massive fire. He had told NDTV that he then turned off the main power switch of the hotel and ran out amid thick smoke.
Watch | 'I Escaped Through Thick Smoke': Chef Recounts Delhi Hotel Fire Horror
The police investigation has now revealed that the electronic doors of the hotel got locked as Negi switched off the power supply after the stove explosion, due to which several people got trapped inside. A husband and wife were also suffocated to death inside the hotel bathroom as they could not open the door. Police sources say that due to Negi's negligent act, a number of people could not make it out of the hotel as flames engulfed it.
Investigators are now working to piece together the entire incident. Police are also questioning hotel staff and people associated with the property.
The blaze - the deadliest one in the national capital since 2022 - also left a dozen others injured.
The fire started around 8:30 am on Wednesday and quickly spread through the five-floor narrow building that had 22 rooms, only one entry-exit point, permanently sealed windows and a sensor-operated main door.
It housed a restaurant on the ground floor while the basement and the upper floors were being used as the hotel.
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