Karnataka: Man Sets Bank On Fire For Denying Loan, Locals Allege Role Of Insiders

The case of setting the bank office on fire for not sanctioning a loan has taken a twist as villagers allege the role of insiders in the bank.

Representative Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: Wasim Akram Mulla, a resident of Rattihalli, has been arrested in connection with setting a bank on fire in the Haveri district of Karnataka, news agency IANS reported the police as saying. 

The incident took place in Heggonda village near Byadagi in the Haveri district.

Wasim is said to have told the police that he did it after being denied a loan. However, villagers now suspect the role of insiders in the bank.

Wasim Akram Mulla was caught by the villagers when he was escaping after setting fire to the bank in the wee hours of Sunday, IANS reported.

The case of setting the bank on fire for not sanctioning a loan has taken a twist as villagers allege the role of insiders in the bank.

The police have taken up the probe as the villagers suspect that the bank was set ablaze with an intention to destroy documents.

According to IANS, preliminary inquiries have revealed that it was a planned act aimed at the destruction of documents. 

CCTV Cameras, Documents Reduced To Ashes

Accused Wasim Akram Mulla had arrived on a bike. He broke the window panes of the bank and poured petrol to set the bank on fire. The villagers saw smoke coming from the bank and rushed to the spot.

They saw Wasim running away from the spot. When they tried to stop him, he allegedly threatened the locals with a knife. The villagers then managed to catch hold of him and handed him over to the police.

In the fire incident, computers, CCTV cameras, documents, and furniture in the bank were reduced to ashes. The fire brigade personnel who rushed to the spot extinguished the blaze, preventing it from spreading.

Kaginele police recorded the statements of the villagers and began the investigation.

(With Agency Inputs)