An aggrieved Ola Electric bike customer set a company showroom on fire in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi city after arguing with the staff over issues with his newly purchased electric vehicle.
The accused was identified as 26-year-old Mohammad Nadeem. Earlier, the police suspected that a short circuit may have caused the fire.
However, investigations revealed that Nadeem set the Ola bike showroom on fire on Tuesday. The incident gutted six new Ola electric vehicles and other materials worth lakhs of rupees.
The police probe revealed that the accused, Nadeem, had bought the new electric bike 20 days ago. It developed snags, requiring repeated visits to the showroom for repair work. The police said Nadeem argued with the showroom staff, alleging that his vehicle was not being properly repaired.
Frustrated with repeated arguments following the breakdown of his vehicle, Nadeem bought petrol and poured it on the showroom early in the morning when it was locked and set it on fire.
After noticing the thick smoke billowing from the showroom, the locals informed the owner and the police. The showroom was gutted when the fire brigade and emergency services reached the spot and extinguished the fire.
The authorities managed to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent showrooms in the building. Chowk police, who initially registered the incident as a possible fire incident, cracked the case after preliminary investigations and detained Nadeem, who confessed to the crime during questioning. Police sources said the accused will be arrested and produced before the court.
The investigation is on. Videos and photos of the incident have gone viral on social media. However, the police have not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
This story is based on an IANS wire feed. Only the headline has been changed.
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