A fire in a posh market here was averted during the night, the latest in a series of mysterious incidents in the city, officials said on Monday.
Lateon Sunday night, an inflammable substance was sprinkled on a few shops inLambert Lane market on Residency Road but alert residents of the buildingfoiled the attempt to set the shops on fire, the officials said.
“Lateon Sunday night, we noticed smell of petrol around the building and we quicklywent downstairs to check. There was no one around, but the fuel had beensprinkled on a few shops,” said a resident of the building, who preferredto remain anonymous. “We informed the market association members who in turnalerted the police.”
This was the third such instance in as many nights as miscreants carried out similar acts at Budshah Chowk, right in front of the highly guarded Akhara Building on Saturday night, and at Goni Khan near Hari Singh High Street, the night earlier.
A senior police officialsaid the incidents were being investigated and strict action will be takenagainst those found involved in these acts.
Therehave been several mysterious fire incidents in the city, in which shops havebeen destroyed or partially damaged during the night, after the abrogation ofArticle 370 of Constitution on August 5.
While most of the targetedshops have been in the areas where markets were open beyond the self-imposeddeadline of noon closure to protest the repeal of special status of Jammu andKashmir, police has so far maintained that the fires were caused by electricshort circuit.
Suspected militants hadcarried out a grenade attack in the busy Goni Khan market last month that lefttwo persons dead and more than 30 others injured.
Ashopkeeper was shot dead in Parimpora area of the city while five members of afamily were shot at and injured in Sopore area of north Kashmir since August 5.
Meanwhile, most of the schools in the city started operations from Monday as buses carrying students could be seen plying on the roads early in the morning.