Ballari blaze triggered at Karnataka MLA’s wife’s house during rooftop reel shoot; 8 detained, Rs 1.25 crore damage

BALLARI: Police on Saturday detained eight persons, including two adults and six minor boys, in connection with the fire that broke out at a house owned by Aruna Janardhana Reddy, wife of Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy, at the secured G-Square layout on Ballari-Belagallu Road here.

According to IGP P S Harsha, preliminary inquiry indicated that Friday's incident occurred when a group of youths gained access to the rooftop of the house to shoot social media reels, videos and photographs, which were later found on the mobile phones of the detained persons.

While the group was there, two of the members allegedly lit a fire, which soon went out of control and turned into a major blaze.

A case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Rizwaan, site engineer of G-Square layout. In his complaint, he alleged that 8-10 miscreants had set fire to the house, causing damage to furniture and equipment worth Rs 1.25 crore.

Following the complaint, Ballari rural police carried out a detailed inspection of the premises. A team from the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) visited the spot on Saturday and collected inputs from local police. Ballari SP Dr Suman D Pennekar also visited the site.

The two adults who have been detained are Sohail alias Sahil, 18, a boutique worker from Tailor Street in Cowl Bazaar, and Asthan alias Suresh, 32, who runs a fancy store in the same locality.

The IGP said the statements of the detained persons were consistent with the material evidence collected so far.

The SP noted there was neither any security arrangement nor CCTV surveillance at the site.

Meanwhile, the fire incident has reignited a political slugfest, with opposition BJP pointing fingers at Congress MLA Nara Bharat Reddy and his party associates.

Congress, on the other hand, claimed BJP members, under directives from Janardhana Reddy and Sriramulu, had set fire to the house, which was lying unused for the past few years.

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