Miffed junkie tries to set police chowky on fire in Mira Road, arrested

In a horrifying incident, a 30-year-old man tried to burn down a police chowky in the Shanti Park area of Mira Road on Monday night. However, thanks to the alertness shown by the local residents, the fire was doused within a few minutes, limiting the damage to some parts of the wooden doors.

The accused who have been identified as Sunny Sadanand Kadam (30), a resident of Bhayandar (east) was caught in the act from the spot. The incident was reported from the Shanti Park Beat Chowky which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mira Road police chowky at around 7:40 pm on Monday.

Nobody was present in the chowky as all police personnel was out on the field for bandobast duty on the eve of festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr and Akshaya Tritiya.

The accused apparently trespassed into the police chowky and filled petrol in a bottle from the fuel tank of one of the patrolling bikes. He later sprinkled the petrol on the doors and set them on fire. Noticing the blaze, passers-by and local citizens not only doused the flames with the help of a fire extinguisher but also caught hold of the culprit.

Fortunately, the damages were limited to some parts of the wooden doors. After learning about the incident, the police personnel also reached the spot and arrested Kadam on the charge of damaging government property and registered a case under section 435 of the IPC for mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage.

“Although his motive is yet to be ascertained, Kadam had been arrested after a hot chase on 19, April 2022 in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act related case for consuming ganja (cannabis),” confirmed Senior Police Inspector- Vijaysingh Bagal.

The accused was remanded in custody after he was produced before the court on Tuesday. Further investigations were underway.