A 50-year-old man tried to murder his woman friend by setting her ablaze using petrol at her house near Chenkottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday night before attempting to end his life by jumping into a well in a nearby compound.
Chenkottukonam native G. Saritha, 46, has been admitted to Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram with severe burns. The accused, Binu, a native of Chellamangalam, near Powdikonam, is also admitted to the hospital with around 80% burns.
Altercation
According to initial reports from the police, the accused reached the woman’s house on a motorbike by 9.30 p.m. After parking his two-wheeler, he entered the compound, asked her to come out of the house, and spoke to her for a while. An altercation broke out and the accused poured petrol on the woman and set her on fire, the police said.
It is suspected that he jumped into the well to save himself from burns, as fire quickly spread to his body after he came into contact with the petrol. He was taken out of the well by the Fire and Rescue Services personnel.
The police said they were apparently friends and they would have to be questioned to know what went wrong between them. The police also recovered a machete and a packet of chilli powder from his motorcycle.
