PUDUCHERRY: A 25-year-old alleged rowdy was arrested in connection with the petrol-bomb attack on a rice shop at the busy Villianur Market Street on Thursday night, allegedly after the shop owner refused to pay extortion money.
The accused, identified as Vinoth(25), son of Perumal of Samiyar Thoppu in Villianur, allegedly hurled three petrol-filled beer bottles at Babu Traders on Thursday night and threatened the shop owner with death. Babu, a resident of Thillai Nagar, and his brother Rajendran run the rice shop.
According to police, Vinoth first visited the shop around 6:30 p.m. and allegedly demanded extortion money from Babu. He also reportedly instructed Babu to collect money from other shops on the street and hand it over to him. When Vinoth returned around 8:30 p.m. and repeated the demand, Babu refused.
Vinoth allegedly left the spot but returned shortly afterwards on a two-wheeler and hurled three petrol bombs (beer bottles filled with petrol) at the shop before fleeing. Babu and his wife, Tripurasundari, were inside the shop at the time but escaped unhurt. Rice stocks and other goods were damaged in the fire, while the explosions triggered panic among traders and members of the public.
Police subsequently arrested Vinoth and booked him under Sections 127, 308(5){ alleged demand for money backed by fear of death/grievous hurt} , 326{damage caused to the rice shop and its contents through fire/explosives} 109( the petrol-bomb attack is alleged to have been sufficiently dangerous to constitute an attempt to murder). and 351(3){ alleged death threats} of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, read with Section 3(5) of the BNS.
Superintendent of Police Subramanian, Villianur Inspector Kalaiselvan and other police personnel inspected the scene and collected evidence as part of the investigation.
Police said preliminary inquiries revealed that more than 15 cases, including assault, alleged ganja peddling and extortion, are pending against Vinoth. He was recently released from prison on bail, after he was imprisoned in a hurt case.
The petrol-bomb attack has sparked concern among residents and traders in Villianur, with local merchants alleging that the circulation of narcotics and related criminal activities in the area needs to be curbed. Inspector Kalaiselvan said that so far 354 criminal cases has been registered in Villianur this year.