Surat: The massive fire that gutted goods worth Rs 24 crore at Saroli’s Shyam Sangini Textile Market on Sept 9 was allegedly an act of arson carried out by a former accountant who wanted to “teach his employer a lesson” over Rs 10,000 in unpaid salary and what he claimed was repeated humiliation at work.Police on Monday arrested Vinod Savle (33), a native of Dhule in Maharashtra, who had worked as an accountant at Hanuman Prasad Zawar’s shop in the market since April 2026. He was paid a monthly salary of Rs 30,000.The blaze destroyed goods and other material stored in 17 shops belonging to four textile traders.Zawar claims to have suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore.Additional commissioner of police (crime) Dr Karanraj Vaghela told TOI that CCTV footage and human intelligence helped investigators identify Savle as the alleged arsonist.According to police, Savle quit his job after claiming that Zawar and another accountant repeatedly harassed him and questioned his performance. He also claimed that Rs 10,000 in salary was due to him when he left the job.Police said Savle allegedly bought petrol from a fuel station on Sept 8, carrying it away in a plastic bag. He then went to his former employer’s shop and allegedly set fire to the goods outside the premises in an attempt to “teach the employer a lesson”.After learning from newspapers, social media and television news reports that he was a suspect, Savle allegedly switched off his mobile phone and fled. He first went to Khatushyam temple in Rajasthan and later travelled to Ayodhya. Police said he subsequently visited several places in Uttar Pradesh and his native Maharashtra before returning to Surat 12 days later.According to police, Savle had about Rs 13,000 in cash when he fled. After running out of money, he returned to Surat, allegedly believing that the police may have stopped looking for him.After Savle allegedly set fire to goods outside Zawar’s shop, the flames spread to adjoining shops, causing losses to other traders who were not involved in the dispute. Shops numbered 601 to 617 were destroyed in the blaze. The shops belonged to Hanumanprasad Zawar, Abhishek Soni, Anurag Jalan and Hariprasad Zawar, who reported losses of Rs 6 crore, Rs 2 crore, Rs 12 crore and Rs 4 crore, respectively.Several other traders in the market also suffered losses as the authorities shut the complex following violations of fire-safety norms, disrupting business and preventing them from accessing their shops.
