Lavkesh Bajaj, the owner of the Malviya Nagar hotel where a devastating fire recently claimed 21 lives, had earlier been chargesheeted by Delhi Police in a case involving illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who allegedly obtained Indian identity documents using his residential address.
According to police records, a case registered at Paharganj Police Station in January 2025 uncovered a network involving Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in Delhi with fraudulently procured Indian documents.
During the investigation, police identified two Bangladeshi women — Sweety Sarkar alias Beauty Hawladar alias Johra Khatoon and her daughter Pushpo Sarkar alias Puspo Saiyada Akther — along with a minor child, living illegally in Paharganj using forged Indian identity papers, including passports and Aadhaar cards.
Investigators found that one of the accused, Sweety Sarkar, had obtained an Indian passport by using the address of a property in Chattarpur Enclave. Verification revealed that the address belonged to Lavkesh Bajaj, a resident of Saket.
During questioning, Bajaj allegedly admitted to knowingly allowing the accused persons to use his address for obtaining Indian identity documents in exchange for money. Police concluded that he had facilitated their illegal stay in India by providing address proof for official documentation.
Subsequently, Bajaj, along with the two Bangladeshi women, was arrested in the case.
A chargesheet was later filed before the court against all three accused. Police also initiated separate legal proceedings concerning the minor child found in the case.
The revelation has brought renewed attention to Bajaj following the deadly fire at his Malviya Nagar hospitality establishment, where investigators are already examining possible violations of fire safety norms and licensing requirements.
Authorities are probing whether lapses in compliance contributed to the high death toll in one of Delhi’s worst fire tragedies in recent years.
The fire, which broke out at Flourish stay B&B catering largely to foreign patients and their attendants, killed 21 people and left several others injured.
Multiple agencies, including Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service and civic authorities, are conducting parallel investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
