COIMBATORE: A 17-year-old girl studying in Class XII was charred to death after she was set on fire near Pollachi on Sunday morning by a 25-year-old man whom she had planned to marry.
According to the Negamam police, the deceased had said in her dying declaration that she was set on fire by S Selvakumar, a farm worker from Senjaeriputhur, with whom she eloped on Saturday night. They had left home after 8 pm as the two planned to marry on Sunday morning.
The girl was found with burns on Sunday around 11 am at her grandmother’s house in Senjaeriputhur, very close to an abandoned house where she had stayed with Selvakumar on Saturday night. She was immediately taken to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) by her grandmother and neighbours. The girl, who had 90 per cent burns, succumbed to injuries at 6.30 pm at the hospital.
After eloping, they stayed in the village itself, in the abandoned house. When the student woke up on Sunday, she found Selvakumar missing. Fearful of her parents’ reaction if she returned home, having been absent the whole night, she went to her grandmother’s house, which is very close to the house where they had stayed, police said.
Selvakumar, who had returned, found the girl at her grandmother’s house. He told her that they would both commit suicide by hanging as he did not have any hope of living together in the village.
Accused taken into custody
Police have taken Selvakumar into custody. The cops aren’t ruling out ‘sexual harassment of a minor’, yet. But due to severe burns, autopsy report may not tell that. They hope Selvakumar will shed more light on the matter