Indian victim's family deny financial motive

ARSON investigators will have to wait until the end of the week to re-interview an Indian man who claims he was set alight by four men.

ARSON investigators will have to wait until the end of the week to re-interview an Indian man who claims he was set alight by four men.

As Jaspreet Singh recovers from his burns in hospital, doubts have emerged over his story that he was attacked, thrown against his car, had petrol poured on him and set alight in the early hours of Saturday morning in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

His family, friends and even his accountant have denied suggestions he lit the fire himself, saying he has a successful courier business, a five-year-old son and is doing well in this country since he arrived two years ago.

Mr Singh and his wife, Paramjeet Kaur, are directors of Jashan Courier -- which they established in 2008 -- and they took out a $21,000 loan for a new van for the business just two months ago.

Friends said it was to replace an older van and the pair were also planning to fly to India on January 26 for a two-month break. The car burned in the alleged attack on Saturday was a Ford sedan.

Ms Kaur said yesterday her husband was gradually getting better but would be in The Alfred Hospital for at least another two weeks. She said burns on his face, arms and body were bandaged and it was very traumatic seeing him.

The couple's accountant and friend, Jignesh Patel, said they had no financial problems. "He has good income every quarter from his courier business and he always pays his tax liability," he said.

"I don't think there is a financial crisis on their part at all."

The incident on Saturday came just a week after 21-year-old Indian accounting graduate Nitin Garg was stabbed to death on his way to work in Melbourne's western suburbs. The killing led the Indian government to issue a travel warning to students.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland yesterday said some of the reporting of Garg's death in India had been "hysterical and uninformed".