NEW DELHI:Lovkesh Bajaj, owner of the Hauz Rani B&B brought to the Malviya Nagar police station on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (PTI)Lovkesh Bajaj, owner of the Hauz Rani bed-and-breakfast (B&B) where a fire killed 21 people on Wednesday, was arrested last year and booked for cheating, forgery, and other charges for allegedly participating in a passport fraud, investigators aware of the matter said on Friday.Officials cited above said that Bajaj “knowingly” allowed a Bangladeshi woman, her daughter and grandson to use his residential address to fraudulently obtain Indian identity documents, including passports and Aadhaar cards, facilitating their illegal stay in India. He was arrested in January 2025 and remained in custody for 20 days before being released on bail.“Bajaj knowingly allowed the Bangladeshi nationals to use his residential address – B-50, 2nd Floor, Gali No. 18, Chhatarpur Enclave – for obtaining Indian IDs. We had arrested him in that case,” said deputy commissioner of police (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh.DCP Singh said a case was registered at Paharganj police station on January 29, 2025, after a Bangladeshi woman, her adult daughter and the daughter’s minor son were found illegally possessing Indian IDs. Investigation revealed the Bangladeshi family was illegally residing in Paharganj using fraudulently obtained Indian passports and Aadhaar cards.Further probe established that the accused had obtained an Indian passport using Bajaj’s Chhatarpur Enclave address. “Bajaj was taken into custody and interrogated. He was arrested after his role in cheating and forgery was established. The Bangladeshi woman and her daughter were also arrested. A chargesheet has been filed,” the DCP added.Police have also found a case from late 2024 registered against Jay Mishra – the manager at Flourish Stay B&B – under section 188 for allegedly not installing cameras at the premises.“No other cases have come to the fore so far against Bajaj or the three B&Bs he owns,” an officer said.Investigators said they have collected documents regarding ownership of the building. “The license of the B&B was taken in the name of Jay Mishra, and he was shown as the owner. But the electricity and water bills are in the name of Bajaj, which establishes he was the real beneficiary and owner,” the officer added.The B&B was permitted to operate only six rooms but was running at least 25 rooms across four storeys, a basement and the roof, with no fire exit. The incident killed 21 people, including a dozen foreign nationals, many of whom were in Delhi for medical treatment. The tragedy has highlighted the lax regulatory regime in the capital, coming only four days after an illegal building collapse in adjacent Saidulajab killed six people.Bajaj remains in custody at the moment in with the Hauz Rani fire case, where police have registered charges of culpable homicide.