Angered by sacking, techie sets boss’ car on fire in Mohali’s Phase 6, held

33-year-old BCA graduate hired a history-sheeter to execute the midnight arson to settle score with his former manager, said Mohali police

Piqued by the termination of his services, a 33-year-old IT professional set his former employer’s car on fire at his vacant house in Phase 6, police said on Saturday.

The accused, Amit Aery, had been working at a multinational IT company in Mohali’s IT Park before he was sacked by his manager two months ago. (HT Photo)

Cracking the midnight arson that took place on November 28, police arrested the accused, identified as Amit Aery, a resident of Sushma Valencia, Zirakpur, on Friday.

A BCA graduate, Aery had been working in a technical support team at a multinational IT company in IT Park before being sacked by his manager, Avdesh Khatri, two months ago.

Nursing a deep-seated grudge against his manager, Aery, the son of a retired merchant navy officer, hired a history-sheeter to settle the score, said police.

“Amit Aery hired Harjit Singh of Burail in exchange for money to set his boss’ car on fire. Singh has a long criminal record, with two NDPS cases in Kharar and Jalandhar, an Arms Act case at Sohana police station and a theft case in Chandigarh,” said ASP Jayant Puri while addressing the media regarding the case.

“We have yet to ascertain how much Aery paid to Singh to commit the arson, as the latter is currently in the custody of Chandigarh Police in connection with the theft case registered at the Sector-36 police station on December 5. We will bring him here for interrogation after securing his production warrants,” said the ASP.

Movie-inspired plot devised over two months

A police officer revealed that the accused, influenced by scenes from movies, carefully planned the crime and enlisted a seasoned criminal to carry it out.

“He wanted to teach his former boss, Avdesh Khatri, a lesson and spent two months devising the plan. Drawing on ideas from films, he hired Harjit Singh for the task. We will now investigate how they met and established contact. Amit Aery has no previous criminal record,” the officer said.

On November 28, Singh reached the manager’s partially constructed house in Phase 6 on a scooter around 12.30 am.

He scaled the entry gate, poured petrol on the rear windshield of a Tata Nexon belonging to Khatri, and set it on fire. The car’s rear windshield and rear seat were damaged in the arson.

The entire incident was captured in CCTV cameras installed at a neighbour’s house, showing the accused stopping his scooter outside Khatri’s vacant house and leaping over the entry gate, before rushing back out.

Hearing the loud noise of shattering glass, a neighbour came out of his house and raised the alarm on spotting the arsonist fleeing on a scooter.

The accused, according to police, had hid the scooter’s number plate with tape, but “CH01” was visible in the CCTV footage.

After police were alerted, a probe was launched, and a week later, a team led by inspector Sukhbir Singh, station house officer (SHO), Phase 1, arrested Aery for conspiring the crime from Zirakpur.

Both Aery and Singh are facing charges under Sections 324 (mischief, which is defined as intentionally or knowingly causing wrongful loss or damage to someone or the public), 326 (mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance) and 331 (house trespassing) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Two booked for starting fire in Phase-3B2 house

In a similar incident on Friday, Mohali police booked two unidentified persons for causing a minor fire inside a house in Phase 3B2 by throwing petrol early Thursday morning.

The two accused, who arrived on a scooter, were captured in a CCTV camera while throwing petrol inside the house causing fire on the floor, before fleeing.

Complainant Amanpreet Singh Bath, who is a car dealer, said, “Around 5.30 am, we noticed smoke inside the house. When I opened the main door, I saw fire on the floor under the stairs due to which the walls also turned black. I doused the fire with water, following which I checked CCTV footage from my neighbour’s camera to discover two men reaching there on a scooter and throwing petrol inside my house.”

Senior police officials, including ASP Jayant Puri, besides a forensic team. Cops are checking CCTV footage in the vicinity.

“It is too early to comment on the issue as we have yet to nab the accused. We have got some leads but the exact reason will only be revealed after their arrest,” an official said.

Meanwhile, Mataur police have registered a case under Section 326(G) of the BNS.