A day after a 74-year-old woman died and six shops gutted in fire in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, police today lodged a complaint alleging sabotage in the case after businessmen claimed extortion bid by an unidentified person.
Businessmen in the area reported to police that they were victims of extortion and named one person who had allegedly targeted a particular businessman, Rakesh (42), who suffered severe burn injuries, said a police official.
The complainants told the police that the accused person spilled fuel in the premises of Rakesh's shop and set it on fire, said the official.
Police and fire officials so far suspected that the fire was caused by a short-circuit.
"We have registered a case of mischief by fire with intent to cause damage and all possible angles of the case are being probed," said DCP (Central) Parmaditya.
A 74-year-old woman died and four persons suffered severe burn injuries when a fire broke out at a garments market in central Delhi's Karol Bagh yesterday.
The deceased woman was identified as Mathura Devi who lived adjacent to one of the six shops which were gutted in the fite. She couldn't escape and suspectedly died of suffocation, said a police official.
The fire was reported around 6.25 pm and five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was doused by 7.50 pm after which a cooling operation was launched, said a fire official.
