HYDERABAD: In a shocking incident that happened in full public view, a 25-year-old woman was allegedly set ablaze at Lalaguda on Thursday, while returning home from work. The woman, identified as Sandhya Rani, was doused with kerosene and set on fire by a man. She was admitted to Gandhi hospital with 64 per cent burns. The accused was identified as Kartheek, who according to police was in a relationship with the victim. However, Sandhya and her family have said that the man was harasser.
“The passersby, who found her engulfed in fire, around 7, tried to douse the flames and shifted her to Gandhi hospital. We have recorded statement of victim and collected CCTV footage from the place of incident,’’’ DCP (North Zone) B Sumathi said. According to the DCP, the woman worked at a private firm in Secunderabad where she met Kartheek.
The woman, in her statement to the police, said that Kartheek had been harassing her in the name of love. “On Thursday Kartheek proposed and I refused to marry him. Later, he followed me and poured kerosene and set me afire,’’ she said. The family alleged that they had warned Kartheek to mend his ways as he has been harassing Sandhya for a few months. Lalaguda police registered criminal case against Kartheek.