Unable to bear sexual harassment by uncle, Bengaluru techie sets herself ablaze in hotel room

Praveen had allegedly recorded her pictures and videos when she was bathing and changing clothes.
Image used for representational purposes only
Image used for representational purposes only
Updated on
2 min read

BENGALURU: Deeply disturbed by the sexual harassment she reportedly suffered at the hands of her uncle, a 24-year-old woman doused herself in petrol and set herself afire inside a hotel room. The incident occurred at Radha Hometel in the EPIP Industrial Area of Whitefield on Sunday evening. The HAL police have arrested the 45-year-old accused.

The deceased, a resident of MLA Layout in Kalena Agrahara, was a software professional. The accused, identified as R Praveen Singh, is a resident of SVS Paradise Apartment in KR Puram.

The victim’s mother has filed a complaint against Praveen and his wife Sandhya Singh, who is the victim’s paternal aunt. The family hails from Rajasthan and the victim’s parents had moved to Bengaluru almost three decades ago for business.

“The incident took place inside a hotel room around 8 pm on Sunday. The victim, who had carried petrol in a bottle, doused herself with it and set herself on fire in front of Praveen. Shocked by her act, he tried to put off the fire and sustained burns on his right hand. She was immediately rushed to Victoria Hospital’s burns ward for treatment, where she succumbed around 10 pm. The accused has been arrested and taken into police custody for further investigation. We are yet to establish the role of his wife, whose statement is being recorded,” said an officer.

For the last six years, the victim was staying at Sandhya’s house, as it was convenient for her to go to work. During her stay, Praveen had allegedly recorded her pictures and videos when she was bathing and changing clothes. She would also go with Praveen’s family on trips and the accused would do the same, when they were staying in the hotel.

Using the pictures and videos, the accused started blackmailing her for sexual favours, police said. The victim had revealed about the harassment to a friend, and had also expressed that she would end her life. However, the friend had instilled confidence in her and had told her to inform her parents.

“After the incident, Praveen started playing innocent. The exact reason came to light only after the victim’s friend disclosed to her mother about the sexual harassment on Monday morning, following which a police complaint. A case of abetment of suicide has been registered against the accused and his wife,” police said, adding that Praveen has also been treated for the burns on his hand.

The postmortem was conducted at Victoria Hospital on Monday. Further investigations are on.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)

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