Gurugram Building Collapse: CBI Files Case Against Developer

The CBI on Tuesday filed an FIR against Ashok Saloman of the Chintels Group and took over the investigation into the partial collapse of the Chintels Paradiso apartment complex in Gurugram last year in which two women were killed, officials said.

The Haryana government had transferred the case to the CBI on July 18, 2022, which was forwarded to the CBI by the Centre on December 29 last year, they said.

According to the procedure, the CBI took over the investigation in the FIR registered by the Haryana Police.

Two women were killed after the dining room floor of a sixth-floor apartment of Tower D at Chintels Paradiso in Sector 109 came down on February 10, last year, triggering the collapse of roofs and floors directly under it till the first floor.

The 18-floor tower has 50 flats.

Rekha Bhardwaj and Sunita Shrivastava were killed in the incident. At the same time, the latter's husband, A K Shrivastava, an IRS officer and a managing director with Central Warehousing Corporation, suffered critical injuries. He could only be rescued from the debris after 16 hours of effort by the NDRF team.

At one point in time, the rescuers considered amputating one of his legs to extricate him but somehow managed to pull him out without resorting to the extreme step, local police had said after the collapse.

The police FIR against the realty firm's the then MD Ashok Solomon was lodged on the complaint of Rekha's husband, Rajesh Bhardwaj under IPC sections related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (304-A) and cheating (420) among others.

The incident occurred when some renovation work was being carried out in the drawing room of the sixth-floor flat.