CUTTACK: In a horrific incident, miscreants allegedly tried to murder a 17-year-old girl by tying her up inside her home and setting the house ablaze at Mansinghpatna under Lalbag police limits on Thursday.The girl was rescued by locals who rushed to the house on seeing the fire. Both her hands and legs were found tied. She had sustained critical burn injuries after being trapped in flames and was rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital. Her condition is stated to be serious.
The girl from Tirtol locality in Jagatsinghpur district was pursuing a +2 second-year science course in a city-based college. She has been staying with her parent and younger brother in a rented house at Mansinghpatna for the last one year. While her father is an auto-rickshaw driver and mother a housewife, her younger brother is studying Class IX in a local school.
The incident occurred at around 11.30 am when she was alone inside the house. Owner of the house Sudarsan Jethi noticed smoke emanating from the room and raised an alarm. “I rushed to the spot and found the girl lying on the floor with her hands and legs tied up in the blaze inside the room. I immediately dragged her outside,” he said.
Later, a fire personnel team rushed to the spot and doused the flames. A relative of girl alleged that four persons including a woman attempted to set the girl on fire by pouring kerosene on her. The attackers had injected her with some sedatives before attempting to kill her by setting the house on fire.
Sources said the girl had lodged a complaint with Lalbag police about her photograph that had gone viral in social media around a fortnight back. While the investigation was on, the victim was getting threats from different people on social media, they alleged.
While the reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained, police have launched an investigation. “The girl’s parents are being questioned. Once the girl recovers, we will take her statement and probe accordingly,” said a senior police officer.