BENGALURU: The Girinagar police claim to have arrested the person who had set fire to a pawn shop after the shopowner refused to give the money as demanded by the accused for the pledged gold. The accused had returned with a plastic bottle with petrol and poured it inside the shop and set it on fire.The accused has been identified as Basavaraj.
He had set fire to Thulasi Abharan pawn shop located in Muneshwara Block at 10am on Sunday. The shopowner, 54-year-old Bhavar Lal, who had also sustained minor burns, had filed a complaint with the Girinagar police.
The police managed to arrest the accused in Nelamangala on Monday. Both the accused and the victim are known to each other. The accused had demanded Rs 50,000 for gold which he had pledged. After Lal refused to pay money as demanded by the accused, the latter started fighting.
In the heated argument, the accused walked out of the shop and returned with a plastic bottle with petrol. He then splashed the petrol inside the shop and set it on fire. Residents helped Lal by putting out the fire. The accused was remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday. Further investigations are on.