SALEM: A man's suspicion about his wife's fidelity took a fatal turn, as he set blaze four persons, including two neighbours, here in Aragalur village near Thalaivasal on Tuesday evening. While a toddler, staying in his neighbourhood, succumbed to burns, three others are battling for their lives in a hospital.
The deceased has been identified as three-year-old Dhanu Sri, daughter of Aragalur panchayat ward member Divya Priya (25) and Manikandan.
Thalaivasal police said that G Marudhamuthu (42) of East Fort street in Aragalur village suspected that his wife, Deivanai (35), was having an affair with his neighbour Manikandan, and the couple used to quarrel frequently over the issue. "On Tuesday evening, Marudhamuthu came home drunk and picked up a quarrel with his wife. As the argument heated up, he poured petrol that he brought in a bottle on her and their daughter, Monisha (17), and tried to set them ablaze," they said. Panicked, the mother-daughter duo ran to their neighbour for help, and the man, who followed them, set the two and the neighbours Divya Priya and Dhanu Sri ablaze.
Hearing the screams, the nearby residents rushed to the spot and took all the four to Government Attur Hospital. Dhanu Sri, whose condition was critical, was referred to Government Salem Hospital, where she died on Wednesday early morning.
Though police registered an attempt to murder case under IPC Section 307 against Marudhamuthu initially, it was altered to murder (IPC Section 302) following the toddler's death.
Police sources told TNIE that every time, Marudhamuthu picks up quarrel with Deivanai, the woman used to take refuge in Manikandan's house. "We are waiting the suspect's Covid-19 test result, which is expected to be out by Wednesday night. He will be remanded in prison based on the test result," they added.