In a shocking escalation of a parking dispute, a man allegedly set his neighbour’s car on fire in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, only to be tracked and arrested 600 kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh. The incident, which occurred on Saturday night, November 30, 2024, was captured on CCTV and led to the arrest of the main accused, Rahul Bhasin, along with six accomplices.
Rahul Bhasin and his neighbour Ranjeet Chauhan had frequent arguments over parking, according to the news agency PTI. It was during one such heated disagreement that Bhasin decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with two friends, he targeted Chauhan’s car in an act of revenge. The entire incident was recorded on CCTV, which later helped the police in their investigation.
CCTV footage shows Bhasin and his two friends stepping out of their vehicle around 10 p.m. on November 30. They approached Mr. Chauhan’s car parked on the roadside and began smashing the windshield. One of them doused the bonnet in an inflammable liquid, and soon after, another set the vehicle ablaze. The trio fled the scene in their car, leaving behind a flaming wreck.
This wasn’t the first instance of vandalism involving Mr. Chauhan’s car. Earlier, Rahul had damaged the side mirrors during a separate argument, for which an FIR had already been filed against him. However, this time, the situation escalated significantly, leading to widespread concern in the neighborhood.
Following the incident, local police quickly formed a team to apprehend Bhasin and the other suspects. Leveraging technical surveillance, authorities were able to track the accused to Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, approximately 600 kilometers from Delhi. A swift operation led to the arrest of Rahul Bhasin and six others involved in the incident.
“So far, seven people have been arrested in connection with this case,” said a police spokesperson. The authorities are continuing their investigation to determine if more individuals were involved and to prevent any future violence stemming from such disputes.