Indore fire that killed 7 in India started by man over a breakup: Cops

A 28-year-old man, who allegedly set on fire the building in Indore that claimed seven lives and injured nine others on Saturday, has been arrested, the Madhya Pradesh police said on Sunday. Police said the man wanted to get back at a woman living in the building who was reportedly in a relationship with him but broke up with him and decided to marry someone else.

Shubham Dixit alias Sanjay, 28, was arrested late at night on Saturday from Lohamandi. He tried to flee and injured his leg and a hand. Police admitted him to the hospital and later arrested him, said Tehzeeb Qazi, police station in-charge, Vijay Nagar.

He is being produced in court on Sunday.

According to the police officer, Dixit, a resident of Jhansi, was sore about a woman, who used to reside with her mother in the Swarnbagh Colony building, deciding to marry someone else. He told the police that they were in a relationship and even lent her ₹10,000. But she recently got engaged to someone else.

"Late on Friday night, he called the woman for the money. The conversation (near the building) soon turned into a bitter argument. He threatened her. Later, he came to the parking area of the building, took out petrol from a bike, poured it on the woman's scooty and set it afire," said Qazi.

Police checked footage of at least 100 CCTV cameras during the investigation. In at least one of the video clips, police saw the man entering the building and later coming out of the building after setting the two-wheeler on fire. The man also tried to tamper with the CCTV camera and also the electricity meter. The man was seen at the crime scene a few minutes later to check the result. But by then, the fire had spread to the building, the police officer said.

The woman and her mother safely came out of the building by using a rope on Saturday. Police said they will register statement of the woman who did not disclose her argument with the man earlier.

Indore police commissioner HN Mishra said, "The accused Shubham Dixit said he just wanted to set the scooty on fire because the woman cheated on him and he didn't know the consequences.".

Mishra added that they also came to know during the investigation that Shubham Dixit has cases registered against him in Delhi also. "We will request the court for police remand to interrogate him," he said.