Ballari Police on Saturday (January 24, 2026) detained eight persons in connection with the fire that broke out at a model house owned by Aruna Janardhan Reddy, wife of Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhan Reddy, at a gated property development on Bellary-Belagallu Road.
The eight persons include two adults and six juveniles, Inspector General of Police (Ballari) P.S. Harsha said.
The incident on Friday night (January 23, 2026) was reported within the limits of the Ballari Rural Police Station after Rizwaan, site manager of the G-Square gated layout, lodged a complaint about a fire at a model house constructed on the premises.
On receiving the information, police teams rushed to the spot and alerted the Fire and Emergency Services, which promptly brought the blaze under control.
“All prescribed investigation protocols and standard operating procedures were followed. A Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) team was deployed for scientific examination and evidence collection,” Mr. Harsha informed the media in an electronic communication.
Based on scientific leads gathered from the scene, police detained eight persons. The two adults have been identified as Sohail alias Sahil (18), a boutique worker from Tailor Street, Cowl Bazaar, and Astham alias Suresh (32), who runs a fancy store in the same locality. The remaining six are juveniles, whose identities were withheld in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act. They will be dealt with strictly as per the procedure laid down under the law, the IGP said.
The IGP noted that preliminary inquiry suggested that the incident occurred when the group of boys gained access to the rooftop of the model house to shoot social media reels and take photographs and videos.
“In the process, allegedly without realising the seriousness and consequences of their actions, two members of the group lit a fire, which subsequently escalated into a major blaze,” Mr. Harsha said.
He added that all the secured persons had been questioned and their statements were found to be consistent with the material evidence collected so far. Further investigation is under way, and necessary legal action will be initiated based on the outcome of the probe.
Published – January 24, 2026 02:33 pm IST
