HYDERABAD: Police in Hyderabad are investigating if a 12-year-old boy who set himself on fire was imitating a cartoon film character he had seen on television.
The boy, Jayadeep Madugula, died of burns at the Osmania General Hospital after he was found with his clothes ablaze on the terrace of his grandparents' house on the outskirts of Hyderabad on June 1.
He was taken to a private hospital for first aid and then to the Osmania General Hospital where he died today while undergoing treatment.
The boy's grandfather told the police that while ablaze Jayadeep shouted out burned that he was burning like a character in a cartoon film.
However, sub-inspector Vishnuvardhan Reddy of the Balapur police station said it was not clear whether the boy's act was influenced by any cartoon character.
"We don't see any reason at this point as to why he took this step," Vishnuvardhan Reddy added. A case has been registered, he said.