Man, 21, arrested after setting house on fire

A 21-year-old man was on Sunday evening taken into custody after he allegedly set his South Rupununi house on fire.

The suspect, Theodore Xavier, has since claimed that the house was haunted because his mother’s corpse was kept there years ago before she was buried.

His father gave the one-storey flat mud house to him about 10 years ago.

The News Room understands that the fire occurred about 20:00hrs at Potarinau Village, South Rupununi, Region Nine.

According to information received, Xavier claimed that he was asleep in his hammock in the house when the hammock began to shake. This, he claimed, was a norm.

So, the man said he got frustrated, took a lighter, and set the house on fire. Neighbours were alerted and tried to extinguish the fire but their efforts were unsuccessful.

The Lethem Fire Service was informed and an investigation was launched.

The matter was subsequently reported to the Police and Xavier was subsequently arrested. He is currently being questioned.