Award-winning retailer Girish Jeeva has spoken out after a suspected firebomb attack outside his Glasgow store left a luxury car destroyed.
The retailer was working late on Wednesday night (27 August) at his Girish’s @ Barmulloch store when CCTV captured a hooded suspect pouring fuel over his fiancée’s Porsche, parked in a staff-only bay just yards from the shop entrance. The vehicle was then set alight in what Girish believes may have been a targeted act linked to recent disputes over parking.
Girish risked his own safety to remove a fuel canister from the burning vehicle, fearing it could explode with staff still inside the shop. Emergency services arrived shortly after 11pm, less than an hour after the store had closed.
Footage of the attack shows the suspect arriving in what appeared to be a red Ford Fiesta, watching from a distance before approaching the vehicle, pouring flammable liquid over it, and setting it alight.
“I think it’s to do with the car park because we’ve had threats about it on Facebook,” Girish said. “I think someone who doesn’t like us in the area is trying to send a message.”
The incident follows Girish’s decision to introduce designated bays in the store’s car park specifically for staff and delivery drivers, after repeated issues with overnight parking and theft from supplier vehicles. “Suppliers have said unless we give them a parking space they can’t deliver,” he said.
The attack came a week after the store posted a notice on its Facebook page clarifying the parking situation. The post made it clear the store owned the car park and that while four of the eight bays were reserved, shoppers were “more than welcome” to use any of them if they were unoccupied.
Customers on Facebook backed Girish’s move, with one commenting: “The shop is the best for miles and the retailer has brought a great range and great value to the community. I think the community should support the local business as much as he has supported the community.”
Police Scotland said enquiries into the incident are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
