A tragic case of mistaken identity could be behind a deadly arson attack that claimed the life of a young woman who was house sitting for her brother while he was on his honeymoon.
The 27-year-old was trapped inside a three-storey townhouse at Dover Street in Truganina in Melbourne’s west as it went up in flames about 2.30am on Thursday.
The Hoppers Crossing woman called emergency services to raise the alarm, however she did not survive.
Her death was being treated as a homicide after two people were seen getting out of a car and pouring accelerant inside the house before it was engulfed in flames, Victoria police DI Chris Murray said.
“This individual is completely innocent and should not have died,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“We have no history on this individual, nor the family.
“My early call is these offenders have targeted the wrong address, which is nothing short of tragedy.”
Murray described the woman as “the kind of girl who doesn’t leave home very much”.
“She’s been subjected to the most appalling, despicable act one could imagine,” he said.
Resident Sahil Arora, who lives next door to the destroyed townhouse, woke up to the sound of shattering glass.
He and his wife evacuated their home and watched their neighbour’s house go up in flames as their street filled with heat and smoke.
Arora didn’t know the woman who was house sitting but had seen the couple who live next door many times.
“I was deeply saddened and sincerely hoped that no one was inside,” he told AAP.
He said he now felt “a bit scared” and warned this type of tragedy could happen to anyone.
“Whether they meant to damage these premises or just cause a scare tactic, now they are staring at a charge of homicide, of murder,” Murray said.
“One innocent young lady has lost her life, which is nothing short of a tragedy.”
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Police believed the two people who fled were male but do not have any other information about them, including whether they were injured in the attack.
“If they’ve gone to a hospital or doctors, if someone’s seen someone come home who has had a burn, that’s something we’d like to hear about again,” Murray added.
A pet golden retriever was also believed to have died in the fire, police said.
Police patrols of the area were set to be increased, however there was no safety alert to the wider community.
The arson and explosives detective hit out with criminals’ fascination with fire as a way to take revenge or to settle disputes, particularly with attacks linked to the illegal tobacco war between criminal groups.
He ruled out any links between the Truganina fire and ongoing criminal war but said money was often a factor behind the attacks.
“I know the type of individuals that do these [acts], they do it for a few hundred dollars thinking they’re going to burn something down,” he said.
“This was just a matter of time, that is, they’re using arson as a means of their criminality”.
Investigators were combing the area for CCTV and anyone with other footage was urged to come forward immediately.
Article by:Source – Australian Associated Press
