TIRUVALLA: A teenage boy set a girl on fire here on Tuesday morning after she reportedly turned down his proposal. Following an argument at the street around 9 am, Ajin Reji Mathew, 20, stabbed the 19-year-old girl. He then poured the two bottles of petrol he was carrying with him over her head and then set her on fire. The public, with the support of autorickshaw drivers, took her immediately to the Pushpagiri Medical College here. Ajin was handed over to the police.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate visited the girl and the police recorded her statement. The accused has been booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Police sources said Ajin and the girl both studied together at the SNDP vocational higher secondary school at Kanjeettukara at Ayroor.The girl, who suffered 60 per cent burn injuries, was shifted to the Ernakulam Medical Centre. The wound on her stomach is not so deep, said sources.