Days after violence over the Cauvery dispute shook the IT capital, a group of unknown men set fire to nine vehicles in Jayanagar area in Bengaluru on Saturday night.

SD Sharanappa, DCP Bengaluru (South) said that the incident happened between 11pm to 11:30pm and that the police were looking for the miscreants based on CCTV footage.

A case of arson, damage to public property has been registered.

“They were bike-bound men who just went about the Kanakapalya area in Jayanagar 2nd block. They poured petrol on bikes parked on the streets. Three vehicles have been fully burnt and six have been partially burnt. Few residents saw the vandals and created a noise but by that time they had set 9 vehicles on fire,” he said.

Asked whether any particular community was targeted, he said, “All the vehicles were of Karnataka registration, so there is a small chance that this is connected to the Cauvery issue. However, only when the miscreants are caught we will know the exact cause.”

“While similar incidents have happened in the city, this is the first time this has happened in this area. There are some suspects. Most people do such things under the influence of alcohol. We have formed a special team to nab them,” he added.