An unidentified man allegedly set fire to his motorcycle after a policeman asked him to show documents of the vehicle, the police said. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon near DSD College on New Railway Road.
In a video of the incident, recorded by a passerby, people can be seen running away from the burning vehicle and a loud noise can be heard soon after the man, in his mid-twenties, set the motorcycle on fire.
The video also shows the accused talking to cops after setting the two-wheeler ablaze. He then proceeds to remove the milk vessels tied to the burning motorcycle and talking to the policemen before walking away as at least three police officials looked on.
Sector 5 station house officer (SHO) Sumit Kumar confirmed the genuineness of the video and said that he had received it from traffic police officials present on the spot.
Police said the fire was put out by fire tenders which reached the spot within minutes. “The traffic police said that they will give us a written complaint and once we receive it, we will file an FIR and start the investigation,” the SHO said.
Interestingly, the bike’s number plate read “HR 26 JAAT” and police said they are trying to trace the vehicle using the engine and chasis number. “The engine and chasis number are visible and we are trying to trace the vehicle using it,” the SHO said.
Assistant sub-inspector (traffic) Krishan Kumar, who was present at the spot, said that around 3pm, traffic policemen stopped the accused near DSD College and asked for documents. “He got down and said he will give the documents and then set the bike on fire,” he said.
When asked why the police let the man walk away from the scene, they said they were focused on the burning vehicle and ensuring that no one gets hurt.