Gurgaon: BMW 3 series, Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Beat gutted in ‘mystery fire’

A BMW 3 series luxury sedan, a Toyota Fortuner and a Chevrolet Beat were found gutted in Sector 15 Part 2 of Gurgaon

A BMW 3 series luxury sedan, a Toyota Fortuner and a Chevrolet Beat were found gutted in Sector 15 Part-2, near the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, in the wee hours of Sunday. However, no injuries were reported.

A passerby noticed the cars up in flames and alerted the family that owned the vehicles. They then called the fire department. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

According to fire department officials, the cars caught fire at around 3.30 am on Sunday. A passerby noticed the cars up in flames and alerted the Gupta family (owners of the vehicles), who then called the fire department headquarters at Sector 29 at 3.50 am.

“A fire engine was rushed to the spot from the nearby Bhim Nagar fire station. It took the firefighters around ten minutes to put out the flames,” IS Kashyap, fire-safety officer, Gurgaon, said.

The cause of fire still remains a mystery as, Pushpender Gupta, one of the members of the family that owns the cars, said they do not see the incident as either the fallout of a rivalry or a mechanical failure.

“We do not have any animosity with anyone and our cars were regularly serviced and maintained. Someone could have attempted to steal the vehicles and set them on fire after failing to succeed. However, there are no eyewitnesses to the incident,” Pushpender said.

Following the incident, members of the Residents’ Welfare Association held a meeting to discuss and review security arrangements in the locality.

Incidentally, similar fire incidents were reported at Sector 15, 2 in the recent past.

An eatery and a private bank’s ATM were gutted after a cylinder explosion at the HUDA market last month. On April 1, a Tata Indica caught fire near the same market. The incident was blamed on manufacturing defects.

The police have registered a Daily Diary Report at the Civil Lines police station in connection with the incident on Sunday and are scanning CCTV footage of the spot to identify and trace the accused.