A 17-year-old girl, whose marriage was slated on Sunday, was set ablaze by a youth at Pithapuram on Wednesday.
According to the Pithapuram police, 21-year-old Muppidipalli Naveen, a painter from Kathulagudem, who was spurned by the girl, resorted to the extreme act when he came to know about her marriage.
On Wednesday afternoon, Naveen barged into the girl’s house at Venugopala Swamy temple lane in Pithapuram when her parents had gone out and picked up an argument. Meanwhile, the girl’s father who returned, noticed Naveen coming out of the house and even before he could confront him, he heard his daughter crying for help and rushed inside the house only to see her engulfed in flames. She was rushed to a local hospital and then to the Government General Hospital where she is battling for life.
The girl’s father told the police that they resided in Kathulagudem in a rented house for some time, where Naveen used to harass her daughter.
The police took Naveen into custody and are questioning him. It is learnt that the accused told the police that the girl doused herself in kerosene and set herself ablaze. The police are trying to record the girl’s statement. A case was registered and investigation was on.
