13 arrested for setting house of former village chief on fire

At least 13 people were arrested in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district for allegedly setting the house of a former village head on fire, police said on Friday.

The incident took place at around 10:45 pm on March 8 when the house of a former village chief of Rymbai Iawpynsin village was allegedly set on fire by a group of people causing severe damage to property, the police said.

One person was caught by the public red-handed while his associates ran away taking advantage of the darkness, district SP Jagpal Singh told PTI.

During the course of investigation, it was found that another person, who was working at the MeECL control room had tripped the power lines before the house was set on fire, he said.

''So far we have arrested 13 people and that included 3 persons who were employees of the MeECL for their involvement in the crime,'' the SP said.

He said a case was registered under Khliehriat police station based on an FIR filed by the house owner.

As far as the reason behind the arson, Singh said the police are investigating into the circumstances leading to the crime being committed by this group of people.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)