Mumbai: A man from Kalwa was arrested in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly setting ablaze his live-in partner of six months, the police said on Thursday. The woman, Smita Yadav (20), has suffered 90 per cent burn injuries and is in a critical condition.
Ramashraya alias Raju Pal set Yadav on fire on Tuesday after an altercation broke out between the two, a Kalwa police official said.
According to the police, Pal works as a daily-wage labourer. Yadav has four children from her first husband. It was found that she left her husband after a dispute six months ago and had been staying with the Pal since then.
“Pal hadn’t been to work for the past few days and Yadav was finding it difficult to run the house, therefore he was frustrated. This led to arguments between the couple and things took a turn for the worse when Pal removed the kerosene can from the kitchen and threatened her to kill Yadav. As the latter continued to argue with Pal, he poured kerosene on her and before she could run out of the house she was set on fire,” said S. Kesare, the investigating police officer from Kalwa police station.
Pal fled after the incident. Yadav came out of the house and screamed for help. She was helped by a neighbour who covered her in a blanket and took her to a civil hospital at Thane. “Yadav was married, but her husband was in a relationship with another woman, after learning about his affair she parted ways with him,” said a police officer.
Pal was arrested under Section 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
