Andhra man sets fiance on fire

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, August 20

In a bone-chilling incident, a woman was set ablaze in the middle of the night by her fiance, who was reluctant to marry her.

The incident took place on Friday midnight at Chowdavada village in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district.

The woman has been shifted to Visakhapatnam for treatment.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has intervened and asked health authorities to treat the woman who suffered 60% burns properly. The woman’s sister and nephew, who tried to save her, also suffered burns and were hospitalised.

According to the police, 21-year-old Ramulamma, who hails from Chowdavada village in Pusapatirega Mandal of Vizianagaram district, was in a relationship with the woman for two years.

The two were to be married in October 2021. But suspecting the woman to be involved with someone else, Ramulamma showed reluctance towards marriage.

The woman’s family approached the police, and with the intervention of village elders, Ramulamma agreed to the wedding.

The woman’s mother said that Rambabu often visited their house around midnight for the past few days.

“He would climb the terrace, see her and then leave. We asked his mother why he was doing this; she said he was doing it casually, so we didn’t do anything. We never thought he would set her on fire,” she told the police.

Last night he did the same, but instead of leaving, he set the man on fire. Rambabu has since been taken into police custody and has been interrogated about the motive of the crime.