Kochi, Oct 13 A 32-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly setting fire to a plant nursery in front of a synagogue in the Ernakulam market, with police suspecting that the incident may have links to a wider conspiracy.
In a related development, police seized suspected narcotic substances, including heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, alprazolam and ketamine, from the accused Ebin B Paul’s house in Puthencruz during a search on Tuesday, according to the First Information Report (FIR).
The accused was arrested in connection with the September 12 incident in which a fire broke out at Blossom, a plant nursery located in front of a Jewish place of worship in the market area, police sources said.
According to them, the accused arrived in a car at around 2.30 am, poured petrol on the nursery and set it on fire. He allegedly recorded the act on his mobile phone before fleeing the spot.
The nursery owner, who also maintains the synagogue, lodged a complaint following the incident.
The police launched an investigation under the supervision of Kochi City Deputy Commissioner Arun K Pavithran and Ernakulam Central Assistant Commissioner C B Tom.
Investigators examined available surveillance footage and questioned around 150 people to identify the vehicle used in the incident.
The police later traced the car’s registration number to the accused and located him at a rented villa in Puthencruz.
During the investigation, the police examined his mobile phone and Telegram chats and found material that they suspect could indicate links with an unidentified person operating through online messages.
The police are also examining allegations that the accused was instructed to carry out further attacks. These claims are yet to be independently established.
In a separate development during the investigation, police searched the accused’s residence at Ginger County Villa, House No. 10A, at Patham Mile in Vadayampadi, Aikkaranad South village, on Tuesday in the presence of an Executive Magistrate.
The search reportedly led to the seizure of substances suspected to be narcotic drugs from a cupboard in the accused’s bedroom, according to the First Information Report (FIR).
The seized substances included materials listed in the FIR as “W Heroine” weighing 3.613 gm and “B Heroine” weighing 2.736 gm, along with 2.361 gm of oxycodone, 5.264 gm of fentanyl, 20.171 gm of alprazolam, 50.883 gm of ketamine and 20.675 gm of a substance listed as “K.rock”.
The FIR said the search was conducted by the Ernakulam Central Police as part of the investigation into the case in which the accused was already in custody.
Police are continuing their investigation into both the alleged arson and the substances recovered from the house.
Kerala police’s anti terror squad and various central agencies have reportedly interrogated the accused.
(PTI News)
