UPSC aspirant sends final message to brother seeking help before dying in Karol Bagh mall fire

New Delhi: "Bhaiya ab saans phool raha. Kuch karo...(Brother I am short of breath now. Do something)," that was the last message Kumar Dhirender Pratap managed to sent his elder brother -- a desperate cry for help from inside a smoke-filled elevator.

Barely 48-hours after returning to Delhi to restart his UPSC preparations, the 25-year-old aspirant from Banaras found himself trapped in a lift at Vishal Mega Mart in Karol Bagh, as fire raged through the building.

He had come back with hopes of a fresh start but instead, he died gasping for breath, waiting for help that came too late.

His elder brother, Virendra Vikram said that Dhirender had recently appeared for the UPSC prelims and returned to the city after a break at home. He was staying in a rented accommodation in Karol Bagh.

"I received a message from my brother at 6.51 pm saying he was stuck in the lift and could not breathe. He was asking me to do something, to help him. I immediately called the police, but nothing happened for hours" Virendra told PTI.

At the time, Dhirender had messaged him, "Bhaiya, hum lift mein hoon. Phas gaye hain. Karol Bagh Mega Mart (Brother, I am stuck inside the lift in Karol Bagh Mega Mart)." His final message read, "Ab saans phool raha. Kuchh karo (I am short of breath now. Do something)." "He had come back just two days ago and was trying to settle in again and get back to studying. Everything he did was for his future and now he is gone. I do not know what to do," Virendra said, crying and struggling to catch his breath.

Police had said the fire was reported at 6.44 pm from the second floor of the four-storey Vishal Mega Mart building located on Padam Singh Road. The outlet sells grocery and fabric items, and the blaze was largely confined to the second floor.

Virendra said his family had no idea Dhirender had gone to the mall. "He never visited Vishal Mega Mart. We do not know why he went there. We were all in Banaras," he added.

"Just imagine, if he hadn't sent those texts, we would not even have known where he was -- that he was stuck and dying in that lift," he said.

"There were no fire alarms, no fire exits, nothing. And when the fire started, the mall cut the lift's power, trapping him inside with no way out," Virendra alleged.

He claimed that he called the PCR upon receiving his brother's messages but help did not arrive in time. "The police responded only around 9 pm. Until then, we had no update and I was completely helpless. I kept hoping someone would get there in time," he said.

Dhirender's body was recovered during a joint rescue operation conducted by the police, fire department, and disaster response team.

"Imagine how painful dying due to suffocation must be. My brother, who was my everything died with smoke burning his insides," Virendra said.

He said that their mother is still in Banaras and thinks that Dhirender is injured. "We have not told her yet, she will not be able to bear it." "When I saw my brother's body, there was blood coming from his nose. It was clear he had suffered. That moment broke something in me," he added.

A total of 13 fire tenders and nearly 90 fire fighters were pressed into service for the rescue operation. Fire officials said the building's lack of ventilation prolonged the firefighting effort.

While the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials suspect it was triggered by a short circuit.