KOCHI: A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attempting to set his partner and their six-month-old baby on fire after dousing them in petrol in Kochi. The accused — Bibin Kumar, a native of Thalavoor in Kollam and residing in Kothamangalam — was arrested by the Palarivattom police late on Friday night, following a complaint filed by the victim.
He has been booked on charges including attempt to murder, house trespass, and cruelty to a child under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, said a source with the Kochi city police.
The accused, who runs a workshop in Ernakulam district, has been in a live-in relationship with the woman and the couple has a child. The incident occurred at 2.45pm on Friday, at a friend’s apartment in Palarivattom, where the woman was staying with their infant after fleeing their residence a few days earlier due to alleged domestic abuse.
Though the accused had repeatedly asked her to return home, she was unwilling to do so. On the day of the incident, the accused arrived at the apartment and told the woman to come outside. When she stepped out carrying the baby, accompanied by her friend, he allegedly poured petrol on all three and threatened to set them on fire using a lighter.
The women managed to avert a tragedy by rushing back inside the apartment and bolting the door before he could ignite the petrol, said the officer.
Meanwhile, the accused was later produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.