CUTTACK: Panic gripped Chandni Chowk area here on Tuesday morning after a 40-year-old woman, who is reported to be mentally-unstable, set several vehicles parked near the Orissa High Court on fire by pouring an inflammable substance, presumed to be petrol.
Police have detained the woman, identified as Minati Sahu of Biridi in Jagatsinghpur, who claimed she was possessed by Goddess Durga. As per eyewitnesses, the incident occurred at around 11.45 am. However, no injury was reported.
The fire, which was initially believed to have been triggered by a short circuit, first caught an electric vehicle and soon spread to two motorcycles and an SUV parked on the roadside near the high court gate.
Though fire services personnel positioned at the Orissa High Court immediately responded and tried to extinguish the flames with the help of hand-held fire extinguishers, they failed and the vehicles were reduced to ashes. The blaze was then doused by the fire tenders.
Driven by panic, other vehicle owners immediately moved their respective vehicles to safer locations while nearby shops downed their shutters and the area was vacated.
It was only after police examined the nearby CCTV footages that it came to fore that it was a case of arson wherein a woman had deliberately set the vehicles on fire. CCTV visuals showed the woman throwing an inflammable substance on the parked vehicles and later setting them afire. A minor boy, believed to be around five years old, was present with the woman during the act.
During questioning, Sahu allegedly admitted to have set the vehicles afire using petrol, citing it was to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to some matter. She also claimed she was possessed by Goddess Durga.
“The woman seems to be mentally-unstable. She has been detained and is being questioned in connection with the incident. We are reviewing the CCTV footages and also questioning eyewitnesses to ascertain the sequence of events that led to the incident,” said a senior police officer.