When a tobacco shop opened next door, a Melbourne couple’s dream cafe went up in smoke: ‘It felt like a warzone’

Key points

• A Melbourne couple's vegan cafe, And Bodega, was severely damaged in a suspected arson attack that targeted a neighbouring tobacco shop in Fitzroy North. The firebombing occurred amid a wave of similar attacks across the city, with hundreds of tobacconists hit since late 2023.
• The cafe owners, Ashish Sharma and Manali Purohit, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for repairs and reopening.
• Police are investigating the incident, which also resulted in the theft of $5,000 worth of equipment from the cafe.