KOCHI: Rahul Raj , 26, a resident of Ambattukavu in Aluva, was arrested by North police on Tuesday on charges of arson. Police said that the youth set on fire the property of a paying guest owner after he suspected that owner might have revealed the truth about his wife’s previous marriages, a fact he concealed from his friends.Police said that the house did not sustain much damage but three vehicles parked on the porch –a scooter, bike and car – were gutted in the fire. The incident happened on December 4 near PJ Antony Ground around 11 pm. Based on CCTV footage obtained from the area, police launched an investigation and zeroed in on Raj, who confessed everything.Police said that the accused committed the crime out of enmity. He felt that house owner, Sai Prasad, was responsible for his personal issues that allegedly created problems in his family. “His wife, Ann Mariya (32), was a paying guest at Prasad’s house for a few months in 2017 before their marriage. Within a few weeks she vacated the place following issues with Prasad and his family. In June 2018, she married Rahul, her third husband. She had married in 2012 and 2015 and had obtained divorce both times. Raj had not revealed this to his friends and relatives,” said the police.Problems started a month ago after Raj’s family and friends found that Mariya had married before. Some pictures of her second marriage turned up on Facebook recently. This created trouble in his family and his friends started taunting him. “The accused doubted that it was Prasad and his family members who posted the photos on Facebook. He reached the house around 10.50pm on December 4 and set the vehicles on fire after pouring petrol on them. The blaze was doused by the fire and rescue team after three-hour battle,” said SI Anaz V D, who investigated the case.

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