Lavkesh Bajaj, the owner of Flourish Stay, a Bed and Breakfast hotel in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, was arrested in January 2025 for allegedly helping Bangladeshi nationals obtain forged Indian identity documents — including a fake Aadhaar card and a passport. A year later, Bajaj is once again in police custody, this time following a deadly fire at his hotel on Wednesday that killed 21 people, including 12 foreign nationals.

The Earlier Fraud Case

According to police, a case under sections 318(4)/338/336(3)/340(2) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) was registered against Bajaj and several Bangladeshi nationals at Paharganj police station. Investigators found that two Bangladeshi nationals — Sweety Sarkar, also known as Beauty Hawladar and Johra Khatoon, along with her daughter Pushpo Sarkar and a minor grandson — had been living illegally in the Paharganj area with fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents.

During the investigation, police discovered that Sweety Sarkar's passport listed a residential address in Chhattarpur Enclave — a property belonging to Bajaj, which he had allowed the family to use as proof of residence. Fake documents including an Aadhaar card, a passport, and bank papers were recovered from the premises where the Bangladeshi nationals were residing.

Bajaj's Admission and Arrest

Bajaj reportedly admitted during police interrogation that he permitted Sarkar and her family to use his residential address to obtain Indian identity documents, allegedly in exchange for monetary benefits. All three accused — Bajaj and the two adult Bangladeshi nationals — were arrested and spent more than 15 days in Tihar Jail. A chargesheet was subsequently filed after the investigation was completed, and a separate complaint was lodged against the minor under applicable provisions.

The Hotel Fire and Fresh Arrest

On Wednesday, Bajaj's Flourish Stay hotel in Malviya Nagar, South Delhi, was engulfed in a fire that claimed 21 lives, including those of 12 foreign nationals. Bajaj was arrested within hours of the deadly blaze and remanded to police custody. Authorities are investigating alleged safety and regulatory violations at the establishment as part of the fresh case.

A Pattern of Legal Scrutiny

This is the second time in roughly a year that Bajaj has faced arrest, raising questions about regulatory oversight of budget accommodation in the capital. The earlier fraud case had already resulted in a chargesheet, while the fire tragedy has now brought fresh scrutiny to the hotel's compliance with fire safety and licensing norms. Notably, the same individual who allegedly helped undocumented migrants secure false Indian identities was operating a hospitality business that housed foreign nationals at the time of the fire.

Investigators are expected to examine whether there are any links between the two cases, and authorities face pressure to account for how safety violations at the hotel went undetected.