Fortuner SUV torched in Hatkeshwar: 11-year-old held, police probe personal enmity

A 31-year-old petrol pump owner from Hatkeshwar has lodged a police complaint after his Toyota Fortuner SUV was allegedly set ablaze by a teenage boy on Wednesday evening.

Investigators said the act was a suspected revenge attack following a quarrel between the accused and the complainant’s son a few weeks earlier.

According to the FIR filed at Khokhra police station, complainant Sagarbhai Chhanabhai Parmar, a resident of Hatkeshwar, parked his white Toyota Fortuner near the society’s back gate around 5 pm on Wednesday as cleaning work was underway at the local temple. Moments later, a neighbour rushed to inform him that the vehicle had caught fire.

Sagarbhai, along with his brother and other residents, rushed to the spot. Using water and the fire extinguisher kept in the vehicle, they managed to control the blaze before fire brigade personnel arrived to douse the remaining flames. The bonnet, engine bay, front tyres and wiring of the SUV were extensively damaged, causing losses estimated at over ₹2.5 lakh.

Khokhra police examined CCTV footage from the society. The footage showed a boy pouring a flammable liquid on the vehicle’s bonnet and setting it alight. He was later identified as an 11-year-old resident of the same society.

 “Preliminary investigation has revealed that a couple of weeks ago, the accused minor and the complainant’s son had a quarrel during which the latter allegedly slapped the boy. In retaliation, the juvenile allegedly set the SUV on fire,” a senior police officer said.

The minor has been detained and booked under Section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with causing damage by fire. Police said he will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Authorities are recording statements of eyewitnesses and conducting a detailed probe to ascertain how the boy procured the flammable substance and whether anyone else instigated the act.

“The act appears to have been driven by anger. Further investigation is underway,” the officer added.