CHENNAI: An unidentified man allegedly poured petrol on the ground in front of the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore and lit up a fire on Tuesday at midnight. Police said the man was a pavement dweller.

A video showed a man sitting on the entrance of the Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore pouring fuel on an already lit fire. The temple staff who reached the premises on Wednesday noticed that there were burnt patches on the entrance.

Police said that they have analysed the video and found that a man had got fuel in a bottle and lit a piece of cloth. Later he started pouring petrol around the burning cloth and eventually it started to turn into a big flame, police noted. After analysing the footage, police said that the man is a pavement dweller who often visits the temple to seek alms from devotees.Based on a complaint from the temple trust, the police have registered a case and have launched a hunt for the suspect.