Asked Not To Smoke, Man Throws Lighter Into Fuel Tank At Raipur Petrol Pump

Two men have been arrested after they tried to set a motorcycle on fire at a petrol pump in Raipur on February 18. An employee at the filling station took swift action and extinguished the fire, a video of the incident shows.

The two young men arrived at the Sangita Fuels petrol pump near Karma Chowk in the Urla area at around 7:40 pm to refuel their motorcycle. As the petrol pump employee began filling the tank, the man sitting on the back of the bike stepped down and tried to light a cigarette.

When the petrol pump employee asked him not to smoke, he became angry and threw the lighter into the fuel tank. The flames reached the motorcycle as well as the petrol pump's fuel nozzle. When the fire suddenly flared up, both the biker and the petrol pump employee rushed away.

Acting quickly, a petrol pump worker pulled the fuel hose away and turned off the main fuel supply. He then used the fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Some of the burning fuel even splashed onto the two men.

Based on CCTV evidence, the accused were identified as Dharmendra Singh of Birgaon, Urla, and Imran Quraishi of AHP Colony.

After the fire was under control, the two men tried to run away, but the pump staff caught them and called the police, who later lodged a complaint. Urla Police arrested them and seized their motorcycle and the lighter used in the incident.

Urla inspector Rohit Mahelkar said a case has been registered under sections related to arson and endangering public safety. The investigation is underway.

In 2024, an inebriated man was arrested after he started a fire at a petrol pump in Hyderabad. The man, identified as Chiran, arrived at the pump holding a cigarette lighter. One of the petrol pump employees, Arun, asked him if he was planning to light it. Someone at the petrol pump provoked Chiran to "light it if he had the guts."

Soon, he lit the lighter while Arun was filling fuel in a scooter. At the time, there were about 10 to 11 people at the petrol pump, including two employees.