Siddarth Sethia
A man allegedly set fire to seven to eight scrap godowns in a series of incidents after his wife left him and moved to her parental home following marital disputes.
The fires claimed the life of a man who was sleeping inside one of the godowns.
The accused,identified as Jeevan Raj,a native of Denkanikottai in Tamil Nadu,had been living in Suddaguntepalya in Bengaluru and was engaged in the onion trade.
He had been married for around eight years and was living with his wife and son.
However, frequent quarrels reportedly erupted between the couple over petty issues.Following a heated argument, his wife left him and moved to her parental home along with their son.
Angered by his wife’s departure,Jeevan Raj allegedly began targeting scrap shops and godowns to vent his frustration.
On October 22,he allegedly set fire to several scrap shops in the limits of Attibele,Anekal and Jigani police stations.
In all,seven to eight scrap establishments were reportedly set ablaze.
Instead of fleeing after setting the fires,the accused allegedly stayed at the spots and watched the flames spread.He even recorded videos of the fires on his mobile phone.
During one such incident,Manikantha,who was sleeping inside a scrap godown,was trapped in the smoke and suffocated.
The accused allegedly watched him struggle and derived pleasure from his suffering.Though locals rushed Manikantha to a hospital,he succumbed to his injuries despite treatment…
A team led by Attibele Inspector Manjunath launched an investigation.Police examined footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras to identify the suspect.
The footage reportedly showed a man moving suspiciously near the scrap shops.Investigators also found visuals of the suspect changing his jacket near a hospital.
Clues related to a CT-100 motorcycle used by him helped the police narrow down their search.
After keeping a close watch on the areas surrounding the scrap godowns and conducting an intensive search for nearly 15 days,the police finally tracked down Jeevan Raj and took him into custody.
During interrogation,he allegedly confessed to setting the scrap godowns on fire because he was angry that his wife had left him and moved to her parental home. The revelation reportedly shocked the investigators.
