Rajkot: Two cars belonging to the same family were allegedly set on fire in the parking area of Dwarika Village apartments in the Railnagar area around 2am on Friday, police said.The accused, Hardik Popat, torched the vehicles in retaliation for a police complaint filed earlier by the complainant against him for molesting his wife. He had also abused the family members and threatened to kill them.The two cars, one owned by the complainant and the other registered in the name of his nephew, were collectively valued at around Rs 11 lakh, police said.According to the complaint, the family parked the cars in the apartment’s parking area around 10.30pm on Thursday and went to sleep. Around 2.30am, the complainant heard a knock on his door. A fellow resident then informed him that the two cars parked below were on fire.The complainant rushed to the parking area, where he found both vehicles engulfed in flames. Other residents gathered and attempted to douse the fire, while police and fire brigade teams later reached the spot and brought the blaze under control.Police examined CCTV footage from the parking area to determine the cause of the fire. The footage showed Popat approaching the two cars, sprinkling a liquid over them and setting them ablaze with a matchstick.When confronted, Popat abused the complainant and threatened him, saying, “For now, I have set your cars on fire; I will still kill you and your family. Why did you file a police complaint against me?”The complainant told police that he had filed a complaint against Popat around two months ago, accusing him of harassing his wife. Police suspect the vehicle-burning incident was an act of retaliation.The complaint was lodged at Pradyuman Nagar police station under Sections 324(5), 352 and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Popat has been arrested and further investigation is underway based on the CCTV footage and other evidence, police said.
