A woman, who suffered grievous burns after being set ablaze by a friend at her house near Chenkottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, succumbed to her injuries during the early hours of March 5.
The deceased, G. Saritha, 46, had been admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital with around 80% burns following the incident that took place around 8.30 p.m. on March 4.
Her assailant, Binu, who hails from Chellamangalam near Powdikonam, is currently being treated at the hospital after suffering 50% burns in the incident.
The Pothencode police are yet to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident. It is learnt that Binu’s children have been studying in a school where Saritha used to work. However, the nature of their relationship is yet to be known.
Jumps into well
While Binu told the police that he had gone to the house on Saritha’s insistence, the investigators were yet to ascertain the claim. Following an altercation, the accused doused Saritha in petrol and set her ablaze. Binu jumped into a nearby well after the fire spread to his own body. He was later taken out of the well by a fire force team.
The police suspect that the “murder” is a premeditated act, considering the seizure of a packet of chilli powder and a machete from Binu’s scooter. He is also suspected to have carried nearly 5 litres of petrol in a canister.
