Building owner arrested

New Delhi: The owner of a building in outer Delhi's Mundka where a massive fire claimed the lives of at least 27 people was arrested on Sunday, two days after the incident, police said here.

"We received information that Manish Lakra was going towards Haridwar in Uttarakhand. We laid a trap and nabbed him from Ghevra Mod after conducting multiple raids in Delhi and Haryana," Sameer Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said.

Lakra used to live on the fourth floor of the commercial building, and he managed to escape to the adjacent building along with his family members when the fire broke out, police said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has approved a magisterial inquiry into the incident, and it will be completed within six weeks.

District magistrate (West) will probe lapses on the part of the concerned departments and agencies, recommend action against the erring officials and fix responsibility, officials said.

The DM will also suggest remedial measures to prevent such tragedies in future, they said.

As part of the inquiry, the DM will also ascertain if there was any violation of laws, they added.

The magisterial probe into the incident was announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal when he visited the spot on Saturday.

Also on Sunday, Delhi Police said it has collected biological samples of at least 20 people, whose family members are believed to be killed in the fire, for DNA profiling.

These members also include kin of the eight people whose identities have already been ascertained, officials said.

"Though eight charred bodies have been identified,we have collected DNA samples from their family members, too, to fully confirm their identities. So far, we have collected samples from over 20 people for the process of DNA profiling, which will be carried out by forensic experts," Sameer Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said.

"DNA sampling is a long process. We will ensure it is completed within a span of five-ten days. Once the DNA profiling is done, all the charred bodies and remains found can be identified and handed over to the family members concerned," he added. The police have recovered 27 bodies so far and identified 14 of them as women and six as men so far, they said. Nineteen people are still unaccounted for.