Delhi Hotel Fire Investigation Reveals Licensing Irregularities and Operational Lapses

Police probing the deadly June 3 fire at Flourish Stay B&B in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar have identified fresh irregularities following interrogations of arrested hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj and accountant Jai Mishra. The accountant revealed he provided his personal documents for the bed-and-breakfast license at the owner's request, prompting investigators to examine how the license was issued in an employee's name despite the owner's actual control of the building and establishment. Mishra, who earned approximately ₹35,000 monthly and had worked with Bajaj for nearly a decade, controlled day-to-day operations including staff management, guest records, and safety compliance monitoring. Police are cross-checking the suspects' statements against documentary and technical evidence while collecting records from government departments to verify claims that all hotel records were destroyed in the fire. The investigation is also examining Mishra's movements after he arrived at the hotel around 9:30 a.m. during rescue operations and subsequently left the scene. The fire, one of Delhi's deadliest hotel blazes in recent years, killed 21 people, including at least 18 foreign nationals.