Mumbai: Two held for setting bikes, cars on fire

THE BHANDUP police on Tuesday arrested two people on charge of arson for allegedly setting nine bikes and two four-wheelers on fire last week. The duo, who have a prior criminal record, have told the police that they set the vehicles on fire since the owners of the vehicles refused to pay them for the parking spot. Senior Inspector of Bhandup police station Sripad Kale said they arrested Dharmendra Pandey (23) and Christain Nadar (26) for setting nine bikes and two four-wheelers on fire in Trimurti Nagar area of Bhandup.

“They said there is an empty spot near their house where people parked bikes and four wheelers. The accused would demand money claiming they were protecting those,” Kale said. There were fights between the accused and vehicle owners for the past two days. To get back at the owners for not paying ‘protection money’, the duo set the vehicles on fire and fled. While Pandey has cases of house break-in and rioting, Nadar had been externed.