A blaze that started as one friend's attempt to burn his own e-bike in Raipur's Saraswati Nagar area ended up taking the life of his closest friend, and the twist that police uncovered during the investigation turned the entire case on its head. What first looked like a planned crime turned out to be a fire the bike's own owner had lit himself, one that badly burned the friend he considered like family.
A Friendship Strained By a New Bike
According to police, Mukesh and Sakib Raza were close friends who spent most of their time together. About 12 days before the fire, Mukesh had bought a new electronic bike and handed it over to Sakib to ride. Mukesh's family did not take kindly to this and repeatedly objected, questioning why the new bike had been given to Sakib. The steady stream of complaints from home began to eat at Mukesh, and he grew convinced that the bike itself was coming between him and Sakib, driving a wedge into a friendship that had lasted years. That belief left him increasingly angry.
He Set His Own Bike Ablaze, and the Fire Spread
Fed up with the constant friction, Mukesh decided the simplest way out was to destroy the very bike causing the trouble. On July 13, he poured petrol over the bike and lit it with a matchstick. Sakib was standing right there at the time and tried to stop him, telling him, “Don't burn your bike because of me.” But by then Mukesh had already set it alight. The flames shot up so fast that Sakib himself got caught in them and suffered severe burns, while Mukesh escaped with only minor burns on his body.
Seven Days in Hospital Before He Died
Sakib was rushed to DKS Hospital in critical condition, where doctors fought for seven days to save his life. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries during treatment on July 17. ADCP West Rahul Dev Sharma said that once the investigation was complete, police took Mukesh into custody and sent him to jail. He has been booked under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the provision dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The Conspiracy Theory That Didn't Hold Up
In the immediate aftermath, the case did not look nearly this straightforward. Sakib's sister, Shahrban, had earlier alleged that her brother was deliberately lured out under the pretext of a drinking party, and that his death was part of a larger conspiracy. That allegation pushed police to scrutinise every layer of the case far more closely. But after a detailed probe and examination of the evidence, it became clear that Sakib's death was not the result of any plot, but the tragic outcome of a bike-burning that spiralled out of control. What began as a small family grievance over a shared bike ended up costing a young man his life.
