Three close friends died after a fire broke out at a temple in Kandivli in the early hours of Sunday. While the fire brigade says the accident was caused by an electric short circuit, locals see a conspiracy into the tragedy.

Victims Subhash Khode 26, Yuvaraj Pawar, 27, and Mannu Radheshyam Gupta, 26 were fast asleep inside the Sai Baba temple at Charkop Bandar Pakhadi when the fire started near a water cooler and a fridge. It soon reached their beds and clothes.