Lavkesh Bajaj, the 60-year-old owner of Flourish Stays B&B in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, where 21 people died in a fire Wednesday morning, was first arrested by the Delhi Police last year in a fake passport case involving Bangladeshi nationals in central Delhi. He was chargesheeted in the case and subsequently granted bail, The Indian Express has learnt.
Bajaj was arrested on Wednesday evening by a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ritu Raj. On Thursday, the South District police sought his custody before a court to ascertain and verify the details of all workers, employees and others engaged in the operation of Flourish Stays, and to trace and apprehend Jay Mishra, the accountant of the establishment, and Rakesh, the manager of the hotel.
The court sent Bajaj to four-day police custody. Police are also conducting raids to nab Mishra and a team has been sent to his hometown in Bihar.
A senior police officer said Bajaj had been arrested last year after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Paharganj police station. “The case was registered in January, and he was arrested months later after police found his connivance during the investigation. He was sent to Tihar Jail and came out on bail after 15 days,” the officer said, adding that the matter is still sub judice.
Sharing details of the case, an officer said a Bangladeshi national was allegedly found living in central Delhi’s Paharganj area on January 29, 2025, using forged Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar cards and an Indian passport, according to the FIR,
During investigation, police discovered that not one but three Bangladeshi nationals — Sweety Sarkar, her daughter Pushpo Sarkar and Pushpo’s minor son — were living illegally at House No. 3137, 3rd Floor, Sangatrashan, Paharganj.
The FIR states that on January 29, the police visited a house after receiving information that a Bangladeshi family was staying there on forged documents. At the premises, police found two women and a minor boy. They failed to produce valid identity documents and, during a search of the house, the police allegedly recovered two Bangladeshi passports, an Indian passport, Aadhaar cards, and several bank-related documents.
The police alleged that the photographs on the three passports appeared to be of the same woman. They also found that Aadhaar cards recovered from the premises carried different names and addresses but appeared to relate to the same person.
Police said further inquiry revealed that Sweety had allegedly secured an Indian passport using the address: B-50, 2nd Floor, Gali No. 18, Chattarpur Enclave, Delhi. Sources said verification of the address established that it belonged to Bajaj.
During questioning, police claimed Bajaj admitted that he had allowed the Bangladeshi nationals to use his residential address for obtaining Indian IDs in exchange for money. Police alleged his actions facilitated the illegal stay of the foreign nationals in India.
Based on the evidence collected during the investigation, police arrested Bajaj, Sweety, and Pushpo and a chargesheet was filed in court against them.
The FIR was lodged under BNS sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2), and 3(5).
Police also submitted a Police Information Report (PIR) concerning Pushpo’s minor son for further action in accordance with legal provisions.
Sources said the South Delhi Police has sought details of the case from the Central Delhi Police.
Earlier, The Indian Express reported that in 2024, a case had been registered against Flourish Stays under Section 188 for violating mandatory safety requirements, including the installation of CCTV cameras on the premises.
