Surat: Athwalines police in city on Saturday arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly setting fire to his father’s rented property following a family dispute, causing losses estimated at Rs 18 lakh. The accused was identified as Sunny Patel, a resident of the Nanpura area.According to police, the incident occurred around 3am when Sunny allegedly set ablaze a ground-floor shop owned jointly by his father, Umesh Patel (57), and uncle Kamlesh Patel. The shop had been rented out to Vishal Patel for the past 10 years, where he operated a signboard and banner business.Police said Sunny, who is unemployed, lived with his parents, wife and daughter on the second floor of the two-storey building, while his uncle and family occupied the first floor. For several days, Sunny had reportedly been pressuring his father to hand over the ground-floor premises so he could shift there with his family. His father refused, citing the long-standing tenancy.According to police, on Saturday night, Sunny again argued with his father over the issue. After leaving the house, he allegedly returned with a bottle of petrol, sprayed it into the rented shop through a window and set it on fire. He then fled the scene along with his wife and daughter.Fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control before it could spread further. Athwalines police also reached the site and launched an investigation.Preliminary assessment revealed that radium cutting machine, computers, printers and raw materials worth approximately Rs 12 lakh were destroyed in the fire. Structural damage to the property has been estimated at around Rs 6 lakh.
