According to police, two unidentified persons arrived on a two-wheeler shortly after midnight, ignited a petrol-filled bottle and threw it at the shop before fleeing the spot. CCTV footage from the area reportedly captured the incident.

The bottle exploded, setting fire to empty cardboard cartons stacked outside the outlet. On being alerted, personnel from the Suramangalam Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire. Police said no liquor stocks inside the shop were damaged. Police are investigating whether the incident is linked to an altercation earlier in the night.