During a press conference yesterday, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam announced that a man has been arrested for an arson attack on a flat, which he mistakenly believed belonged to his debtor.
The 43-year-old local suspect surnamed Wong told the police he’s jobless.
According to Ho, Wong, in the early hours of Saturday, went to his friend’s flat on Rua da Tranquilidade to collect a debt. However, he mistakenly went to the wrong unit. After knocking on the door, a man opened it but didn’t recognise Wong and promptly closed it again.
Feeling ignored and enraged, Wong smoked a cigar outside and then threw it into the shoe cabinet by the door. He also recorded a video, which he sent to his friend who owed him the debt, demanding that he open the door.
Ho noted that, unexpectedly, the fire rapidly spread. Wong and the resident of the flat attempted together to extinguish the flames but were unsuccessful. They then reported the incident to the police.
After inhaling the thick smoke, Wong fainted and was subsequently taken to hospital for medical treatment. Ho added that as a result of the fire, three shoe cabinets outside the victim’s unit were burnt, and the flames also spread to three neighbouring units, causing blackened corridor walls. The victim estimated that the repairs would cost about 170,000 patacas.
Wong, who has meanwhile been discharged from hospital, has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing an arson charge, according to Ho, who did not reveal the amount of the debt resulting from a business venture by the two men.
