Bengaluru: Insurance was the motive behind 26-year-old Narendra Lal Choudhry’s decision to hire his friend to set his shop on BVK Iyengar Road in Chickpet on fire, claim investigators.
While taxi driver Gajendra (35) was burned alive, an accomplice was rescued from the blaze. It was based on his statement that the police arrested Choudhry on Saturday.
According to the police, once Choudhry and Gajendra hatched their plan, the latter asked the accomplice, Arun Kumar, to help him execute it. The idea was to connect a UPS battery to the main switch of the power line. However, there was a huge explosion that killed Gajendra and injured Kumar.
The Chickpet police waited for Kumar to recover before questioning him in hospital. “He told us what happened,” said the investigating officer.
Based on this information, the police analysed the call records of Gajendra and Choudhry, to verify Kumar’s statement. “All evidence corroborates Kumar’s confession. We have Kumar under police custody in hospital,” the officer added.
The officer said Choudhry had incurred losses of Rs. 1.5 crore, and the shop was insured for Rs. 2 crore.
The police have booked the shopkeeper, Choudhry, for murder and various other sections. The explosion on Friday shattered the windows of adjacent buildings. Residents are clamouring for compensation. “As it was a criminal act and not a natural calamity, residents will not be getting any compensation,” said a police officer.
