Surat Textile Market Fire: Ex-Accountant Torches Former Workplace Over ₹10,000 Salary Dispute, Causes ₹24-Crore Loss | Video

A former accountant set off the fire that gutted goods worth nearly Rs 24 crore at Saroli’s Shyam Sangini Textile Market on September 9, reportedly over a Rs 10,000 salary dispute and workplace humiliation. Police said he wanted to “teach his employer a lesson”.

The Surat Crime Branch arrested 33-year-old Vinod Savle, a native of Dhule in Maharashtra, on Monday. Savle had been employed as an accountant at Hanuman Prasad Zawar’s shop in the textile market since April 2026 and was reportedly earning Rs 30,000 a month.

Investigators said Savle resigned after claiming that Zawar and another accountant had repeatedly mistreated him and raised questions about his work. He maintained that Rs 10,000 from his salary was still pending when he left the job.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dr Karanraj Vaghela said investigators traced Savle with the help of CCTV recordings and information gathered through human sources.

According to police, Savle bought petrol from a fuel station on September 8 and transported it in a plastic bag. He reached his former workplace later and ignited goods placed outside the shop, with the intention to “teach his employer a lesson”.

The blaze soon spread to nearby establishments, damaging merchandise and other material stored across 14 shops operated by four textile traders. Hanumanprasad Zawar suffered an estimated loss of Rs 6 crore, while Abhishek Soni, Anurag Jalan and Hariprasad Zawar reported losses of approximately Rs 2 crore, Rs 12 crore and Rs 4 crore, respectively.

Police said Savle became aware that he was being suspected after seeing reports about the incident in newspapers, on social media and on television. He then switched off his phone and left Surat. His movements reportedly took him first to the Khatushyam temple in Rajasthan and subsequently to Ayodhya. He later travelled through various locations in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra before coming back to Surat around 12 days after fleeing.

Investigators said Savle had approximately Rs 13,000 with him when he left the city. After the money was exhausted, he returned to Surat, apparently assuming that the police search had eased. Crime Branch personnel, however, arrested him after his return.