Kochi | Two more cases have been registered against a man arrested for allegedly setting fire to a nursery near a synagogue in Ernakulam market, with the investigation revealing his alleged involvement in other arson incidents, police said on Thursday.
Police arrested Ebin Paul (32), a native of Puthencruz near here, for allegedly setting fire to Blossom Nursery, located in front of the Kadavubhagam synagogue in Ernakulam market, within the limits of Kochi Central police station, in the early hours of October 12.
During the investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) found that Paul allegedly attempted to set fire to a locked house in Muvattupuzha in January and targeted the same property again in March this year.
Based on these findings, Muvattupuzha police registered two cases on Wednesday for arson and house trespass, officials said.
The SIT also found his alleged involvement in setting fire to a used-car showroom in Muvattupuzha.
A case has already been registered in connection with the incident, and Paul has now been arraigned as an accused, police said.
Investigators found that videos of the arson incidents were sent through Telegram to an unidentified person suspected to be his handler.
Police are probing a possible terror link, as Paul was in contact with suspected handlers through various social media applications.
The SIT recently found that Paul frequently searched for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and exchanged Telegram messages referencing him.
The team has expanded its investigation to Pune, where Paul pursued a degree course, officials said.
Paul is currently in judicial custody.
Central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), have collected information from police about the incident, officials said.
Apart from the arson incidents, Puthencruz police are investigating a case against Paul for the seizure of multiple kinds of synthetic drugs seized from his residence during the search after his arrest.
