Kendrapara: A 30-year-old man, who was estranged from his parents and is believed to be mentally ill, has been arrested by the police for the setting his parents' house on fire.

The incident occurred at Narayanpur village on Tuesday. The accused, who was having a strained relationship with parents and was living separately with his wife and a child, stealthily sprinkled kerosene on the thatched house of his parents and set it on fire. He fled from the spot after committing the crime.

However, a villager saw the entire incident and immediately raised an alarm. Thereafter, villagers caught him after a chase. Later, he was handed over to the police.

The villagers helped to douse the flames and rescued the elderly couple. Both the parents of the accused were rescued on time, said a police officer. The accused, Chandan Giri, was arrested following a complaint lodged by his father Kalipada Giri.

"Chandan used to misbehave with us. That's why we asked our married son to get separated. That provoked him to kill us by setting our house on fire," Kalipada alleged in the FIR lodged with the police.

Chandan confessed to the crime. He has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 436 (setting a house on fire) and 307 (attempt to murder) and has been remanded in judicial custody, said inspector of Talchua marine police station Sritikantha Kanungo.