Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network-Kundapur (RJP)

Kundapur, Sep 24: Two persons have been arrested in connection with the fire at a fancy store in Sasthan. The prime accused were arrested in Shivamogga by the Kota police and were produced in court on Wednesday, September 23.

The police had established the identity of the suspects a week back. When the now arrested duo came to know about this, they fled to Sagar near Shivamogga and took refuge in a house there belonging to a friend.

Sharath and Vignesh Kanchan from Balikere in Kota are the persons arrested.

A shop named 'Mandara Fancy Store' belonging to Praveen Gundmi on Kodi Fisheries Road in Sasthan was set on fire on the wee hours of August 28. Traces of petrol were found on the tiles in front of the shop, giving rise to suspicions that it was a deliberate act. Police and the public suspected that it was an act committed by the persons belonging to another community as Praveen is the leader of a Hindu organisation. To make their doubts stronger, a day before the incident, an argument between Praveen’s group and a group from another community had taken place which had ended in the police station.

But the police who investigated thoroughly later found out that the group who set fire was not the same as suspected, but the group which belonged to the same community as that of Praveen. 6 suspects were called to the police station for interrogation and were asked to come back the next day. But all of them disappeared the following morning.

The group had conspired to set fire to Praveen’s shop on the particular day thinking that it would be taken as an act by other community as Praveen had an argument with them. The chief conspirator Abhishek and others asked Sharath and Vignesh to do the act with the promise of liquor. The arrested have admitted that they set fire to the shop after pouring petrol.

Police are in the lookout for Abhishek, Bharath, Shashikumar and Charan, others accused in the case.