VIJAYAWADA: Anantapuram police arrested two persons who set fire to a shopping mall before its inauguration. The incident occurred at the Pavithra HyperMart store at Anantapuram on September 2, 2021.
The accused have been identified as Kasi Viswanatha Reddy and his friend Chenna Reddy. One Town police said Viswanatha Reddy, who runs a shop at Sai Rithivika Mega Mall, thought that the opening of the new supermarket would hamper his business and planned to set the mart abalaze with the help of his friend Chenna Reddy.
The two set on fire a cloth dipped in petrol and hand sanitizer and threw it inside a ventilator at the site. Police initially thought the fire was caused by a short circuit. The duo was arrested on Monday and presented before a magistrate.