NEW DELHI: Hours before the Satya Niketan building collapsed, a plumber working at the property had warned that breaking a load-bearing wall could bring down the structure, but the warning was allegedly ignored, police said.The warning emerged during the investigation into the collapse and is being verified by police. A police source said the plumber had cautioned the accused against breaking the wall after noticing the construction work at the property.“During the investigation, we found out that one of the plumbers had warned the accused hours before the incident not to break the wall as it could lead to a collapse. However, the warning was allegedly ignored. We are verifying the testimony and other details related to the sequence of events,” the source said.Sources said the load-bearing wall was allegedly removed during construction and may have weakened the structure, contributing to its collapse.During questioning, PG operator Sudhanshu Lovneesh, 31, allegedly told investigators that he had asked Mahesh, the building owner’s son, about the construction and why it was being carried out. Police, however, have so far found nothing to corroborate his claim.Investigators are questioning neighbours and others in the area to establish whether they had noticed the construction activity or raised concerns before the collapse. They are also reconstructing the sequence of work carried out at the property and examining the roles of those involved.A senior police officer, when asked about a purported letter sent by police to the government seeking an inspection of PGs in Satya Niketan over alleged lack of fire safety measures a few months ago, said he was not aware of the specific communication. The officer said such letters could also be part of routine correspondence between police and other departments.Police are also conducting raids to trace the associate of the PG operator.
