A man and son, who were in hiding after the latter’s anticipatory bail plea in the Garib Nagar fire case was rejected, were arrested from Nallasopara on Saturday. Police said Salim Lightwala, 43, is a history-sheeter and has several cases of rioting registered against him. His son Salman, 22, allegedly started the fire in the Bandra slum that destroyed crores in property, including the ticketing counters at Bandra (East) railway station.
The fire in Garib Nagar slums broke out on October 27 last year during a BMC demolition drive, and spread rapidly as cooking gas cylinders in the hutments exploded. The damage to Bandra station nearby led to Harbour Line services being suspended for a short while. Hundreds of slum dwellings were destroyed in the blaze.
Three days later, Garib Nagar resident Sabir Khan was arrested for allegedly starting the fire in a bid to derail the demolition drive. Salim and Salman were also suspected of arson. Fearing arrest, Salman approached the court for anticipatory bail, which was rejected. He had been in hiding ever since. Based on a tip-off, police picked up Salman and his father from Nallasopara.
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Senior PI Subhash Jadhav, Nirmal Nagar police station, said, “Salman started the fire, acting on his father’s instructions in a bid to stop the demolition. This is not the first time the Lightwalas have tried to derail civic demolition drives in Garib Nagar. During one in early 2017, Salim had started a rumour about a mosque being demolished, which led to outrage in the area and halted the demolition. He was subsequently arrested for the offence.”
Mr. Jadhav added that Salim was also arrested in connection with the Azad Maidan riots in 2012, and for several instances of rioting in the past few years. He said the duo was booked for mischief with fire or explosive substances, endangering life or personal safety and criminal conspiracy. They were produced in court on Saturday, which remanded them in police custody till January 10.