Cong corporator’s flat set ablaze by goons
His crusade against drugs is cited as a reason for the arson attack
Thanks to the presence of mind shown by daughters of a senior Congress corporator, they miraculous escaped when a notorious goon fled after setting their flat in Mira Road on fire by pouring petrol on the main entrance door. The act of arson is said to be the fall-out of the intense campaign launched by the local Congress unit along with the police to spread awareness on the hazards of drug and alcohol consumption, which resulted into a manifold increase in complaints by residents leading to a crackdown by the Thane (rural) police against local goons and drug peddlers.
According to the police, the bizarre incident was reported from Congress corporatorJubeir Inamdaar's first floor flat in Mira Smruti building located in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road at around 3 am on Saturday. Inamdaar's daughters aged 25 and 23 years were alone in the flat as their parents had gone to their native village in Chiplun to attend the funeral of a close relative. At around 3 am the girls woke up to crackling sounds and smelt the smoke. “Soon we noticed our main door and parts of the wall unit was engulfed in flames. We immediately turned off the main switch and used blankets to quell the fire with the help of neighbours, before it could spread inside,” said one of the brave girls. The entire sequence of events which has been captured in the building’s CCTV camera, clearly shows a man sprinkling petrol on the main door and setting it afire before rushing out of the building.
“Baffled by our drive launched to weed out anti-social elements from the region, the drug mafia has carried out this dastardly act which posed a threat not only to my family but the entire building. However, we won't succumb to such pressures, in fact we have decided to intensify our campaign.” said Inamdaar. “Based on the image captured by CCTV cameras and tip-offs from informants, two miscreants have been identified. Both are notorious for criminal activities. We have formed teams to nab them, they will be behind the bars soon.” said Senior Police InspectorBalaji Pandhare. A case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 436 (Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), 440 (Mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt), 442 (house trespass) and 34 ( common intention) of the IPC has been registered in this context.