Six of family die as man sets fire to his daughter’s house

Police attribute it to ‘family dispute’, accused on the run.

April 03, 2021 01:54 pm | Updated 11:51 pm IST - MYSURU

Six persons, including three children, were burnt to death at Mugatageri village in Ponnampet Police Station limits of Kodagu district early on Saturday.

The police said the accused, identified as Boja, 50, a labourer, set fire to the house where his wife, daughter, grandchildren and others were asleep, around 2 a.m.

Frequent fights

The police said Boja’s wife Bebi, 40, who was fed up with the frequent fights he used to have with her in a drunken state, had come to her daughter’s house on Friday.

Though she wanted to leave on Friday night, her daughter asked her to stay overnight. But Boja, who was looking for his wife, arrived at his daughter’s house late in the night.

“He went to the roof of the house using a ladder, removed the tiles, poured kerosene and lit a fire,” said a police official.

As the doors of the house were bolted, the victims suffered serious burns when the house caught fire.

Superintendent of Police, Kodagu, Kshama Mishra said three victims, including a six-year-old child, died on the spot. Three others died at a hospital in Mysuru.

Neighbours had to break into the house to rescue those who suffered serious burns. Two more persons who suffered serious burns are undergoing treatment at K.R. Hospital in Mysuru.

The police have formed a team to trace the accused. Prima facie , the provocation for the act was a “family dispute”. But, more details would emerge during the investigation, the police said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.