Two drunken youths set 10 houses on fire for fun in Kandivli

Duo went on a destruction spree after locking Kandivli East residents inside their homes, say Kurar police

Two drunken youths set 10 houses on fire for fun in Kandivli

Curtains, bed sheets and water drums outside the houses were damaged in the fire

The Kurar police have arrested two drunken youths who allegedly tried to burn down around 10 houses in Kandivli East, just for fun. In the wee hours of Thursday, the Kandivli residents were returning home after partying in the jungle along the Sanjay Gandhi National Park when they ran amok.

The Kurar police said Himanshu alias Pintu Sharma, 23, and Salman Murad Sheikh, 21, latched the doors of 21 houses in two areas — Azad Seva Chawl and Mahatma Gandhi Chawl — in Kandivli East. They then set the curtains, tarpaulin and water drums, and other things on fire, and also damaged some of the motorcycles parked in the two areas.

Water drums outside the houses were damaged in the fire

Residents of nearby localities rushed to help the victims. They unlatched the houses and helped them douse the fire. Meanwhile, some local cops in the area alerted the Kurar police about the incident. The police said no one was injured, but property like water drums, curtains and clothes hanging outside, was damaged in the incident.

Rajkumar Mishra from Mahatma Gandhi Chawl said when he went to the police station with the victims, a woman from Azad Seva Chal said she saw three to four men, with their faces covered, setting her door curtains on fire.

"Some beds sheets had been left outside to dry, and around 3.30 am a woman living in the house opposite mine started shouting that the sheets were on fire. As my door was locked from outside, she opened it and then we put out the fire," said Rahul Vishwakarm, 23, from Azad Seva Chawl.

Senior Inspector Babasaheb Salunkh along with his team immediately launched a manhunt and nabbed the duo in a few hours with the help of their informers. Sharma and Sheikh confessed to committing the crime, said the police. The police are trying to investigate if there were others with the duo.

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