Collapsed building owner arrested, booked under Section 304

55-year-old Amritpal Singh, who was on the run since last night after the four-storeyed building came crashing down, was arrested from his relative's house in Geeta Colony in east Delhi around 7 pm, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) I B Rani told reporters.

A senior police official said the accused's relative has also been picked up for questioning. Besides the four-storeyed building, he is said to be owning several other buildings in the area.

Singh, who already has 30 cases registered against him including one of murder, has been booked under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC. Police were searching for Singh since the past few days in connection with his previous cases.

The accused's brother Satnam is a history sheeter, police said, adding he was also declared as a man with "bad character" by them. Some of the other cases registered against him earlier were for violation of Essential Commodities Act, Excise Act and receiving stolen articles, police said.

Singh fled along with his family soon after the building, which was rented out to migrant labourers, collapsed. The 15-year-old building, where an illegal fifth floor was being constructed, came crashing down around 8.15 pm yesterday.