Bengaluru building collapse: Ownership of site changed at least three times

BENGALURU: Rafeeq, the building owner who started the construction, was not the first owner of the site. According to people who live near the building, when construction on the site began, it had a different owner who sold the building even before construction could be finished. “Over years, the site has changed hands among different owners and was neglected by them all,” said Babu, a plumber who had worked on the initial construction project and was an eyewitness to the collapse on Thursday.

He said the shops on the ground floor had not been rented out. “It was a neglected building. There was a family living in the basement earlier and the man was working as a security guard for the building. I don’t know what happened to them,” Babu said.According to a resident who lives nearby, “The building was purchased by Rafeeq, who owns one Aishwarya Departmental Store nearby. He wanted to provide housing for his employees and therefore he started building two extra floors.”

Other sources said the building had been sold by the original owner to another person who then sold it to a third buyer before it was purchased by Rafeeq. This has made the process of identifying the owner tougher for the authorities concerned.

However, the police zeroed in on Rafeeq, but he managed to escape.According to DCP Whitefield Abdul Ahad, the property was transferred by Kunji Mohammed to his daughter Sameera. “We have booked the owner and people involved in the construction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.”