The Naupada police on Tuesday arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly setting 18 two-wheelers on fire in a Thane housing society while its residents slept peacefully.
Gaurav Palvi (21), the man arrested for the arson, is a resident of the same society.
According to the police, the two-wheelers, all belonging to the residents, were parked in the space between the A and B wings of the society. While 11 were completely burnt, seven were damaged slightly.
The police have learnt that a week ago, Prashant Bhoir, the owner of a laundry operating from the building, had a fight with Roshan Dalvi, a relative of the accused. Both are residents of the same society.
Around 2.25 a.m. on Tuesday, the accused set ablaze Mr. Bhoir’s two-wheeler in retaliation. However, the fire spread to the other vehicles parked nearby. Apart from the two-wheelers, the laundry establishment was damage slightly.
Gaurav Palvi
The residents of the society were asleep at the time, and only realised that something was wrong when they heard the vehicle engines exploding due to the fire. The building was vacated after the incident to avoid smoke inhalation injuries.
After the fire brigade was informed, firefighters reached the spot and doused the blaze.
The Naupada police were able to identify the accused with the help of CCTV camera footage and after questioning residents.
“We are still investigating the matter to see if there was any other conspiracy and if someone had provoked the accused. We have booked the accused under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 435 and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance) of the Indian Penal Code,” Dr. D. S. Swami, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 1, Thane, said. Mr. Palvi had been arrested a few months ago for a fight in B-Cabin area of Thane.
Suryakant Kand, a resident of the society, said, “Around 2.30 a.m., I heard an explosion. I looked through the window and saw that the engines of the bikes parked downstairs were exploding one by one. The smoke had reached the top floor of the building. We did not call the fire brigade on time because we were trying to save other vehicles that were parked nearby.”
Mahindra Maurya, a resident of A wing whose bike was completely damaged, said that he had bought the two-wheeler just three months ago.
