Two weeks after setting wife ablaze, man still missing

Accused was irked he did not get enough meat for dinner

Two weeks after setting his wife ablaze for not serving him enough meat for dinner, Kamothe resident Manohar Sarode (45) is still untraceable, police have said.

Mr. Sarode was an alcoholic and would often pick fights with his wife Pallavi (37). “The couple have three daughters and a son, the eldest being in Class X, and the youngest in Class IV. On December 4, Pallavi had cooked meat for dinner and fed the children before Mr. Sarode returned,” senior inspector Balasaheb Tupe, Kamothe police station, said.

When Mr. Sarode came home, his wife served him the remaining meat, which he found to be very less. Irked, he poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. “When their neighbours heard her screams, they rushed to douse the fire. Pallavi sustained 45% burns, mostly below the chest, affecting her vital organs,” Mr. Tupe said. The victim’s parents, who lived nearby, rushed her to Sion hospital while Mr. Sarode fled.

An attempt to murder case had been registered with the Sion police, which was converted to a murder case after Pallavi succumbed to her injuries on December 11, and transferred to the Kamothe police.

“The accused’s phone is switched off and we are trying to trace him by sharing his picture across all police stations,” Mr. Tupe said.

Meanwhile, Pallavi’s children and parents have gone to their home town in Nanded for her last rights.