KOZHIKODE: The mystery surrounding the Perambra car fire incident has been pushed into further uncertainty following the death of the prime witness who drove the vehicle.
Rajinlal, a 33-year-old native of Kakkaramukku in Cheruvannur, died of his injuries at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. He had been battling for life in an ICU after sustaining over 65% burns in the May 15 incident that claimed the life of his six-month-pregnant wife, 28-year-old Sona, on the spot.
With Rajinlal’s passing, investigators have lost the only person who was inside the vehicle when it transformed into a rolling inferno, leaving the dark, twisted whodunit largely unsolved.
The tragedy initially appeared to be a vehicle accident when the couple’s 2016-model Maruti Swift caught fire around 9pm on the Cheruvannur-Kakkaramukku Road while they were returning home after Sona’s medical checkup.
However, the narrative rapidly shifted following conclusive examinations by forensic experts and the motor vehicles department. Officials completely ruled out any technical malfunctions, engine leaks, or electrical short circuits, noting that the fuel tank remained entirely intact.
Instead, the investigation revealed that the fire originated strictly within the rear passenger cabin, where Sona was seated, and investigators recovered traces of petrol on her remains alongside a melted plastic canister cap.
A critical breakthrough emerged when investigators retrieved CCTV footage showing Sona secretly purchasing petrol in a container earlier that evening while she was out shopping with her cousin.
According to police sources, Sona and Rajinlal were engaged in a severe argument, which prompted her to sit alone in the back seat with the hidden fuel.
Moments after the fire erupted, Rajinlal managed to escape from the vehicle and jump into a nearby water body to extinguish the flames that engulfed him. Neighbours rushed to his aid, at which point he revealed that his pregnant wife was still trapped inside the burning vehicle.
Prior to his death, Rajinlal maintained his innocence from his hospital bed, providing a final statement regarding the harrowing final moments. “As we were driving, a strong, overpowering smell of petrol filled the car. I turned and asked Sona where it was coming from, but before she could answer, a massive fire burst out,” Rajinlal had stated.
Based on this account and the discovery of the fuel purchase, the police have been strongly considering the possibility that Sona may have taken her own life.
However, Sona’s family has vehemently rejected the suicide theory.