Surat textile market fire: Former accountant held for arson over Rs 10,000 salary dispute

Surat: A massive fire that destroyed goods worth around Rs 24 crore at Saroli’s Shyam Sangini Textile Market on September 9 was allegedly started deliberately by a former accountant who wanted to “teach his employer a lesson” over Rs 10,000 in unpaid salary and what he claimed was repeated humiliation at work.

Police on Monday arrested Vinod Savle (33), a native of Dhule, Maharashtra, who had worked as an accountant at Hanuman Prasad Zawar’s shop in the textile market since April 2026. He was reportedly paid a monthly salary of Rs 30,000.

According to police, Savle quit the job after alleging that Zawar and another accountant repeatedly harassed him and questioned his work performance. He also claimed that Rs 10,000 in salary remained unpaid when he left.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dr Karanraj Vaghela told the media that CCTV footage and human intelligence helped investigators identify Savle as the alleged arsonist.

Police said Savle allegedly purchased petrol from a fuel station on September 8 and carried it away in a plastic bag. He then allegedly went to his former employer’s shop and set fire to goods kept outside the premises, intending to “teach his employer a lesson”.

The fire subsequently spread to adjoining shops, destroying goods and other materials stored in 14 shops belonging to four textile traders. Hanumanprasad Zawar reported a loss of around Rs 6 crore, while Abhishek Soni, Anurag Jalan and Hariprasad Zawar reported losses of Rs 2 crore, Rs 12 crore and Rs 4 crore, respectively.

After learning through newspaper reports, social media and television coverage that he was suspected in the case, Savle allegedly switched off his mobile phone and fled Surat. Police said he first travelled to the Khatushyam temple in Rajasthan and later went to Ayodhya. He subsequently visited several places in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra before returning to Surat about 12 days later.

According to investigators, Savle had around Rs 13,000 in cash when he fled. After allegedly running out of money, he returned to Surat, believing that police may have stopped searching for him. However, after his return, he was nabbed by Crime Branch sleuths. DeshGujarat