New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS): A couple of days after the arrest of Rakesh Goel, owner of Arpit Palace Hotel, Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested his elder brother Shardendu Goel, licencee of the hotel here.

"Shardendu Goel had applied for his anticipatory bail which was rejected by a local court. He appeared and surrendered in the Crime Branch office in Daryaganj at 11 a.m. today," a Crime Branch officer told IANS.

"Goel was evading his arrest since February 12. He was accompanied by his advocate during his visit to the Crime Branch office. He was arrested after he failed to give satisfactory reply to the interrogators," the officer added.

Shardendu is being produced at Tis Hazari court and his police custody remand will be sought, he said.

Rakesh Goel had earlier told the police that he had bought 435 square yards of land in 1988. He constructed the building in 1992 and started running the guest house in 2000 after taking permission from several authorities.

Seventeen people were killed in the massive fire that broke out on February 12 in Arpit Palace Hotel in Karol Bagh.