Upset over pending payment, man sets luxury car on fire in Noida

Upset at not being paid for the tile work he had done, a 40-year-old contractor allegedly set fire to the luxury car of a property builder in Noida on Monday

Upset at not being paid for the tile work he had done, a 40-year-old contractor allegedly set fire to the luxury car of a property builder in Noida on Monday.

Upset over pending payment, man sets luxury car on fire in Noida

A video of the incident has since been widely shared on social media and the man was arrested on Wednesday, police said.

Police said the incident took place in Sadarpur village and was captured by a nearby CCTV camera.

In the video, a man can be seen arriving on his two-wheeler and parking it in front of a white Mercedes that is parked on the street.

He then pours a flammable liquid, presumably petrol, over the car and sets it on fire before fleeing the spot.

The suspect was identified as Ranveer, a construction contractor and a resident of Roja Yakubpur village.

He was allegedly upset with the Mercedes owner and property builder Ayush Chauhan who owed him over ₹2 lakh.

“Chauhan had hired Ranveer to install tiles in houses that he built. They have been working together since 2019. Chauhan owed Ranveer ₹2,68,000 in payments for the tile work and the amount has remained unpaid since the past two months. Both men had heated arguments over the delay in payment,” said Harish Chander, deputy commissioner of police (Noida).

On interrogation, Ranveer revealed that he was upset with Chauhan over the payment delay. “Miffed by the delay, the suspect set Chauhan’s Mercedes on fire,” said Chander.

“The car was parked outside the complainant’s house in Sadarpur village and the entire incident was captured by a CCTV camera. The complainant identified the suspect from the footage. He took the CCTV footage and submitted it to the Mercedes dealership to raise an insurance claim. It is suspected that the video was leaked from there and was shared on social media,” said Rajneesh Verma, assistant commissioner of police.

Based on Chauhan’s complaint, an FIR under Section 435 (mischief by fire or explosive) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Sector 39 police station on Tuesday. Ranveer was arrested from Sadarpur village Wednesday,” said Verma.

Chander said, “The suspect had not given a complaint regarding the non-payment of dues. Chauhan has denied that he owed Ranveer money. he said all payments were made.”