CCTV footage reveals suspected arson in Gujarat’s textile market fire incident; Rs 24 crore worth of stock destroyed

AHMEDABAD: What began as a devastating textile market fire in Gujarat's Surat City has now turned into a suspected arson case, as CCTV footage reportedly shows an unidentified man setting cloth parcels on fire inside Shyam Sangini Textile Market. The blaze, which broke out late on September 8 near Kumbharia crossroads in Saroli, raged for nearly 50 hours before firefighters brought it fully under control. According to police sources, a detailed examination of CCTV footage revealed a suspicious sequence of events.

At around 8:57 PM on September 8, an unidentified man reportedly entered the market carrying a shoulder bag, with a white handkerchief covering his face. Later, at approximately 12:20 AM, he reached the sixth-floor passageway, where cloth parcels were lying. The footage allegedly shows the man taking a bottle-like object from his bag, spraying a flammable liquid on the textile parcels and setting them ablaze.

Subsequently, as the fire intensified, he reportedly fled the spot within four minutes, leaving the blaze to spread through the market. Meanwhile, a shop owner reportedly noticed the fire at around 12:41 AM and immediately alerted the police control room through emergency number 112.