INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been arrested and charged with arson after he allegedly tried to burn down his Indianapolis home in order to collect over $400,000 in insurance money.
Gurpreet Singh, a 22-year-old Indianapolis resident, was arrested in Ohio earlier this week and has since been charged in Marion County court with two counts of felony arson. Singh also faces unrelated felony battery charges filed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
The arson charges stem from an April 2024 fire on Indy’s southeast side. Fire crews were called around 11:15 p.m. on April 2 to the 5700 block of Tart Boulevard for a residence fire.
Upon arrival, IFD said crews found a heavy fire through the roof and determined that there were no occupants inside. The blaze was reportedly under control 50 minutes later and fire investigation units were called to the scene.
IFD said investigators soon determined the cause of the fire was incendiary and concluded that the blaze had been intentionally set in an act of arson. Police and fire officials then began a months-long investigation that required numerous search warrants and witness interviews.
The investigation determined that the owner of the home – identified as Singh – was the one who intentionally set the fire.
Officials concluded that Singh had purposefully started the blaze in order to collect insurance money on the home – which was valued at $430,000.
Singh was recently arrested after being tracked down in Ohio and was charged on Monday in Marion Superior Court 29 with the following charges:
- Arson Damage by Fire – Level 4 Felony
- Arson With Intent to Defraud – Level 6 Felony
IFD officials said Tuesday that, in addition to these charges, Singh also faces an additional felony battery charge for an unrelated incident in Marion County.
Online court records show Singh is being held in jail without bond until his initial hearing Wednesday in front of Judge Charles Miller. Once a bond has been set and paid, Singh will have to pay another $20,000 cash for a Home Detention with GPS hold related to his other charges.
