CCTV Leads Police to Former Accountant in Surat Textile Market Fire Case
SURAT, Gujarat — Police have arrested a former accountant in connection with the fire that destroyed an estimated ₹24 crore worth of textile goods at Surat’s Shyam Sangini Textile Market, saying the blaze was deliberately started following a dispute over ₹10,000 in unpaid salary.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on September 9 at the six-storey market in the Saroli area of Surat. It took firefighters about 14 hours to bring the blaze under control. No deaths were reported, but large quantities of finished textile stock prepared for delivery ahead of the Navratri and Diwali seasons were destroyed.
The suspect, identified in police accounts as Vinod Savle, 33, from Dhule in Maharashtra, was arrested by the Surat Crime Branch on September 21. Police say CCTV footage, local intelligence and other investigative leads helped identify him as the man seen entering the market before the fire.
CCTV changed the direction of the investigation
The blaze was initially investigated as a possible accident. That changed after surveillance footage showed a masked man entering the sixth floor of the market around 12:20 a.m.
According to police accounts reported by The Indian Express, the man walked through a corridor where textile parcels had been placed outside shops. The footage shows him apparently spraying a substance on the packages before setting them alight. He then left the building roughly four minutes after entering.
Investigators followed his movements through additional surveillance footage. Police eventually identified the suspect as Savle, who had previously worked as an accountant at a textile business operating from the market.
The identification came after the initial FIR had been registered against an unknown person for suspected arson.
Police link the fire to an unpaid salary
According to police, Savle joined the business in April 2026 on a monthly salary of ₹30,000. He later left the job after what he described as repeated humiliation and criticism by his employer and another accountant.
Police say he claimed that ₹10,000 of his salary remained unpaid after he left.
Investigators allege that the unresolved payment dispute became the motive for the fire. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Karanraj Vaghela told The Indian Express that Savle allegedly bought petrol worth ₹150 at a fuel station in Dindoli on September 8, the day before the fire.
Police allege that he later went to the market after the shops had closed, carried the petrol to the sixth floor and set fire to textile parcels outside the premises associated with his former employer.
The police version is based in part on the suspect’s alleged statements after his arrest. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Fire spread beyond the original target
Investigators say the fire was intended to damage the former employer’s goods but rapidly spread to adjoining shops.
The Times of India reported that goods and other materials in 17 shops belonging to four textile traders were destroyed. The affected traders reported losses of approximately ₹6 crore, ₹2 crore, ₹12 crore and ₹4 crore respectively, according to the report.
The combined loss was estimated at around ₹24 crore.
The market contained large quantities of textiles, much of it packed and ready for transportation. Earlier reporting on the fire noted that synthetic fabrics, plastic packaging and cardboard helped the flames spread rapidly through the commercial premises.
The destruction therefore extended well beyond the business at the centre of the alleged salary dispute.
Suspect allegedly left Surat after the fire
Police say Savle switched off his mobile phone after learning from news reports that investigators were examining CCTV footage and had begun looking for a suspect.
According to police accounts cited by The Times of India and DeshGujarat, he travelled first to Rajasthan and later to Ayodhya, before moving through parts of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Investigators say he eventually returned to Surat about 12 days after the fire.
Police said he was arrested in the Dindoli area after receiving information about his return.
The arrest represents the latest major development in a case that initially appeared to be a large commercial fire but was later treated as deliberate arson.
Investigation continues
Police have not indicated that the case is closed with the arrest. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the fire and the evidence collected against the accused.
The reported motive — an unpaid ₹10,000 salary balance and alleged workplace mistreatment — comes from the police investigation and statements attributed to the accused. The employer’s account and the legal proceedings will be relevant to establishing the facts as the case progresses.
For traders in Surat’s textile sector, the fire also resulted in disruption beyond the immediate property losses. Reports said the market was subsequently shut following fire-safety violations, preventing several businesses from accessing their premises and affecting traders who were not directly connected to the dispute.
The case now moves from the initial mystery surrounding the fire to the legal process against the arrested former employee. The central evidence includes CCTV footage, investigative leads, and the account given to police after his arrest.
