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Who is setting cars, bikes and even lorries on fire in Chennai? That is the latest mystery Chennai City Police are trying to unravel as two trucks parked in Ashok Nagar were partially burnt on Wednesday night.

Only on Tuesday night unknown miscreant(s) torched three cars and 10 two-wheelers parked in residential apartments. The two trucks were burnt the following night in spite of increased security and patrolling by specially formed police teams after Tuesday’s case of arson. Since the lorries were not loaded and the fire department was alerted in time not much damage occurred.

“It should either be a mentally deranged person or a gang of anti-socials wanting to cause panic,” said Deputy Commissioner S. Baskaran after a sleepless night of patrolling. What surprised the police is that the incidents occurred once the people had gone to bed after watching the World Cup matches till nearly 3 am.

“Apparently someone had been waiting for them to sleep,” Baskaran observed.

Ramnath, a resident of Ashok Nagar for more than a decade, claimed that such an incident had never happened in the locality. Three motorbikes in his block were completely gutted as the petrol tank had been forced open and stuffed with clothes before setting them on fire, he observed.

The police are yet to solve the mystery burning of three motorcycles in the Stanley Medical College in North Chennai three weeks ago. JCP (South) G. Durairaj was confident of cracking the case before the end of the week.

Meanwhile residents of colonies in South-West Chennai have formed watch committees to patrol their areas in the night. “Since the World Cup matches are on till nearly 3 am most of us are anyway awake. Its another two more hours of staying about,” said Vijayan, a college student in Virugambakkam.