Coimbatore: BJP district president's car set on fire, 5 suspects held

Coimbatore: Two cars were set ablaze in two different incidents in Coimbatore in the early hours of Wednesday. One of them belongs to district BJP president C.R.Nanda Kumar. Police have picked up five persons from Ganapathy, Saravanampatty and Gandhipuram and are investigating.

A police officer told the DC that around 3 am on Wednesday, three persons wearing helmets on a motorcycle came to Nanda Kumar’s house near the Singanallur-Masakalipalayam road. They poured petrol on his car inside the compound and set it on fire.

Alerted by his mother who heard strange sounds, Nanda Kumar came out of his house and was shocked to see his car on fire.

He poured water on it and alerted police and the nearby fire station. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes but most of the car was gutted.

City police commissioner K.Periaiah, deputy commissioner S.Laxmi along with a team rushed to the spot and started investigation.

Police have collected footage from the CCTV camera installed in Nanda Kumar’s house. Singanallur police have lodged a case under the explosive Act against unknown miscreants.

Meanwhile a group of BJP cadres thronged Nanda Kumar’s house and marched towards Avinashi road, blocking traffic and raising slogans demanding immediate arrest of offenders. The road roko was withdrawn after 10 minutes when police pacified them.

A similar incident was reported near Selvapuram Indra Nagar at around 3 am on Wednesday. A car and a two-wheeler belonging to 51-year-old financier Umapathy was set on fire by unknown persons.

C.R.Nanda Kumar told the DC that he suspected members of the Dravidar Kazhagam to be involved in the crime. This is the second incident in two weeks after petrol bombs were hurled at the BJP district office.