Police are investigating a suspicious fire that ripped through a store in Melbourne's south-east, which they believe is the latest in a string of arson attacks linked to illicit tobacco trade.
About 3.25am on Wednesday, emergency services were called to a vacant shop located next to a tobacco store on Station Street at Oakleigh. A vacant shop next to a tobacco store on Station Street at Oakleigh went up in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Picture: David Crosling, NCA
Detectives from the Arson and Explosives Squad, and an arson chemist, were at the scene on Wednesday to investigate what sparked the blaze. Photos captured after the blaze show the extent of the damage to the burnt-out shop. Police are treating the fire as suspicious and believe it is linked to a string of recent arson attacks. Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Picture: David Crosling, NCA
Last week, a convenience store on West Street in Hadfield was also severely damaged after a suspected arson attack, as reported the Herald Sun. "Detectives from a range of Crime Command units including the Arson and Explosives Squad, Echo Taskforce and VIPER Taskforce are investigating the series which is believed to be linked to the illicit tobacco trade in Victoria," police said in statement on Wednesday.
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