Four Family Members Die After Tughlakabad Revenge Plot Over Rs 80,000 Debt Ends In Fire
A revenge plot over an Rs 80,000 debt led to a horrific fire in Delhi's Tughlakabad on June 13, resulting in the deaths of four members of a single family. The arson, which targeted a five-storey residential building, has left one surviving family member fighting for her life in the intensive care unit.
The deceased have been identified as Pankaj Kumar Pandey, a 28-year-old mobile phone shop owner, his mother Guddi, aged 50, his sister Soni, aged 24, and their maternal grandmother Sushila Devi, aged 70. The youngest sister, 21-year-old Mani, remains in the hospital's intensive care unit.
The incident occurred at 2:15 AM on June 13, while the family of five was asleep in their two-room flat on the fourth floor. A fire broke out in the building’s ground-floor parking area, where approximately eight two-wheelers were parked. Within minutes, the flames tore through the structure, trapping residents on the upper floors.
Emergency responders rescued ten people from the building. Eight residents, including Pankaj and his family, were rushed to the hospital with severe burns and smoke inhalation. Pankaj, Sushila, and Soni were declared dead by the morning of the incident. Guddi passed away two days later, on June 15, while undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital.
The Delhi Police revealed that the blaze was the consequence of a revenge plot that went horribly wrong. What started as a conspiracy against one man over an Rs 80,000 debt ended up destroying the family.
Pankaj had purchased the flat just two years prior from a builder who had converted the property into a multi-storey residential complex. Relatives said the purchase was meant to secure a better future for the family after the death of Pankaj's father, Subhash Chand Pandey, a driver who succumbed to a kidney-related illness two years earlier.
Mani, who is pursuing a BA degree through the School of Open Learning at the University of Delhi, is currently unaware of the tragedy. Relatives stated she has not yet been informed that her entire family has passed away.
