A father-son duo, who was awarded the contract to allegedly construct an additional floor illegally on a single-storey house, died after the building collapsed in North East Delhi’s Harsh Vihar on Sunday evening, said police. The owner of the house has been arrested, police said.

The deceased were identified as Chanderpal, 60, and his son Vijay Kumar, 33, both of whom were inside the building when it came down. Police said that the additional floor was being built without permission.

“Preliminary inspection revealed that the ground floor of an old building, which reportedly also housed a godown, collapsed along with a structure on its first floor. The property is reportedly owned by one Manoj Kumar,” police officers said.

On Monday, Vijay’s wife Anita recalled the last time she talked to him. Anita said she had told him around an hour before the incident that dinner was ready and that she was waiting for him.

“When I called him around 6:30-7 pm, his number was not reachable.…