Businessman sets neighbour’s car on fire over parking dispute in south Delhi

A businessman in Delhi allegedly set fire to his neighbor's car over a parking dispute, leading to his arrest after a 600km chase.

Enraged over a parking dispute near his house, a businessman allegedly set fire to his neighbour’s car in Lajpat Nagar, southeast Delhi early on Sunday, police said. While no one was reported injured, police said that the accused was booked in a similar incident in August this year.

The complainant’s Ciaz car. (HT Photo)

The complainant, Kunwar Ranjeet Singh Chauhan, lives in Lajpat Nagar 2 where the incident took place. The accused, Rahul Bhasin, was caught in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh after a 600 kilometre chase on Monday, police said. Chauhan is the founder of organisation Jashn-e-Adab that organises poetry festivals in Delhi and other states, and his house and office are located in Lajpat Nagar 2, said police.

On the day of the incident, Chauhan was not at home and had left his new Ciaz car parked in front of it, police said, adding that he has two other cars.

Chauhan told HT, “Our neighbours told us about the fire. Bhasin, who lives nearby, vandalised my new car and broke its glass pane and windows. He then poured a petrol-like liquid and set fire to it. This is not the first time...He has been harassing me for months.”

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said that Bhasin had vandalised two of Chauhan’s other cars on August 5. “We found that he broke the side mirrors. He was arrested and later got out on bail,” he said.

The fight between the two neighbours began after Chauhan allegedly objected to Bhasin and his aides consuming liquor in cars near his home. Police said Bhasin then allegedly started parking his car near Chauhan’s house which led to arguments. Later, when Bhasin’s car got scratched, he blamed Chauhan and threatened him.

An officer said, “The parking issue led to the August incident. Later, Bhasin again threatened Chauhan and on Sunday, he set fire to his car and fled from the city.”

DCP Singh said that the accused had also assaulted Chauhan in August. “We registered a case against Bhasin. The incident took place at 12.10 am on Sunday. The car/spot was examined by the crime and forensic team. During investigation, all the accused people seen in the CCTV, including Bhasin, were identified. Bhasin had fled and was arrested after a chase of more than 600km. He was arrested from Amethi with the help of technical surveillance,” he said.

Police said that two of Bhasin’s aides have been detained and are being questioned. They allegedly helped him set fire to the car.