Kozhikode: Police on Sunday arrested the accused in connection with the incident in which a religious study centre attached to the premises of St. Patrick’s Church near the railway station in the city was set on fire.

The accused has been identified as Jayant Naik, a native of Odisha. He was arrested by a team led by Chemmanchad Police Inspector J Santhosh Kumar, police said.

The fire broke out around 5 am on Friday. The building, located near the railway tracks at the beginning of Francis Bridge and close to the church, was partially gutted in the fire. A car belonging to the parish priest, which was parked near the building, was also partially damaged.
CCTV footage from the scene showed the accused jumping down from the top of the building while smoke was rising from the structure.

Following the incident, police launched a search for the person seen in the CCTV visuals. A dog squad and a forensic team inspected the site, and four teams comprising eight members each were formed to carry out the investigation.

Police said the accused was taken into custody from Chalappuram Bazar, where food was being distributed. Preliminary assessment suggests that the accused is not mentally unstable. After undergoing a medical examination at the Beach Hospital, he was taken for further interrogation.