Tughlakabad fire: Teenager set scooter ablaze over monetary dispute, say Delhi Police

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 14, 2026 11:32 AM IST

Three members of a family were killed in the Tughlakabad building fire (File photo).

In a shocking twist to the Tughlakabad building fire case that claimed the lives of three members of the same family, the Delhi Police have found that a teenage girl allegedly set a scooter on fire following a personal dispute with a neighbour of the victims, triggering the deadly blaze.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said a 17-year-old girl has been apprehended. During questioning, she allegedly disclosed that a 27-year-old woman had instigated her and provided petrol and a matchbox to set ablaze the scooter of one Deepak, a resident of the fifth floor of the same building, over a monetary dispute.

The woman, in turn, revealed that the conspiracy had been hatched at the behest of a 33-year-old man from the locality and his brother, who allegedly sought revenge over a personal dispute, Tiwari said.

The incident occurred in the early hours of June 12. At around 2.24 am, flames erupted inside Building No. RZ-171/1 in Gali No. 1, TKD Extension, Tughlakabad. The fire rapidly spread from the ground floor to the fifth floor, trapping residents and triggering panic throughout the building.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and rescued several occupants. Eight injured persons were shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and Safdarjung Hospital for treatment. Despite medical efforts, three victims — Pankaj, 28, his sister Soni, 20, and their grandmother Sushila Devi, 70 — succumbed to injuries.

Initially, the police registered a case under Sections 287 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to negligent conduct and causing death by negligence, and began investigating the cause of the blaze.

However, the case took a dramatic turn when investigators examined CCTV footage from the area. The footage allegedly showed a woman entering the premises shortly before the fire broke out, raising suspicions that the incident was not accidental.

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Following a sustained investigation, the police identified and apprehended the 17-year-old girl in the early hours of Sunday. They also arrested three other adults allegedly involved in hatching the conspiracy.

The police said the scooter fire rapidly spread through the building, turning into a deadly blaze that claimed three lives and left several others seriously injured.

In light of the findings, the police have added serious charges under the BNS, including criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, attempt to commit culpable homicide, mischief by fire, and lurking house-trespass by night.

The police said further investigation is underway to establish the complete sequence of events and determine the extent of each accused’s involvement.