Prateek Tanmay
2 min readNew DelhiJun 17, 2026 01:44 AM IST
The death toll in the incident of fire, which ripped through a residential building in Southeast Delhi’s Tughlakabad on the intervening night of June 12 and 13, rose to four after a 50-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries on Monday evening, police said.
The victim, identified as Guddi, had sustained severe burn injuries and died at a hospital. Police said that the three others who died in the fire were Guddi’s son Pankaj (28), daughter Soni (20), and mother Sushila (70). Another member of the family, Moni, is currently critical, they said.
Two days after the incident, during the probe, the police had found that the fire was not accidental. They said a minor girl was allegedly planted to set a scooter parked on the ground floor of the building on fire. The fire soon engulfed the building, spreading to the upper floors.
The police also found that the two-wheeler which was set ablaze belonged to another family residing in the building.
Relatives of the deceased said that they are not aware of any dispute that the family might be involved in and wondered why things ended in such a tragic manner. According to one of the relatives, the family had once lived with him in Prahladpur. Guddi’s husband, Subhash, worked as a driver for a private company and had spent years saving money to buy a home for his family, he said. Following his death, their son Pankaj took over the responsibility of supporting the family. After years of hard work and savings, Pankaj managed to purchase a two-room flat in Tughlakabad two years ago to provide a better future for his sisters.
Family members of the deceased have also demanded strict action against those responsible for the fire. They alleged that the police have not invoked appropriate charges and demanded that the accused be prosecuted for murder.
The police have so arrested four suspects, including the minor girl who was spotted entering and stepping out of the building in CCTV footage.
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Police sources said a dispute over money linked to an alleged drug-trafficking operation might have been the motive behind the “arson”.
