Man sets female colleague ablaze

Mangalore Today/DHNS

Bangalore, Aug 14, 2013: A much-married man allegedly set ablaze his love interest and senior colleague at his house on Guddadahalli Road at Hebbal on Tuesday morning.

Neighbours who heard her screams for help rushed her to Victoria Hospital where she is being treated for third-degree burns. Doctors said her chances of survival were slim.

 

According to police, Pavitra, 23, a resident of Srirampuram, was employed as a supervisor at a leather goods factory at Gorguntepalya. Her father Sundar is a painter and her mother a worker at an agarbatti factory. Her elder sister Aishwarya is married and lives with her family.

Aishwarya said Pavitra was of late constantly talking over her mobile phone late into the night and inquired her about it. “However, she did not reveal anything. A couple of weeks ago, I called the number she was constantly in touch with from her mobile phone, and a man, S Bharathi, manager at the same firm my sister works, answered the call. He confessed he had an affair with my sister. He even promised to marry her. Later, my sister too confided in me,” she said.

But Pavitra was aghast at a recent call she received on Sunday morning from a woman named Vijaya, a teacher in Tamil Nadu, claiming that Bharathi was married to her and that they had two children. She also apparently told her she was his second wife and that his first wife had died under mysterious circumstances, widely suspected to be Bharathi’s handiwork. She told Pavitra that Bharathi was a philanderer and she (Pavitra) was his latest victim.

“Feeling cheated, Pavitra confronted Bharathi. He invited her to his house on Tuesday morning to sort out the issue. We don’t know what happened there. We suspect Bharathi must have set her ablaze in an attempt to get rid of her. He has to be punished,” said Aishwarya.

Shyamala, Bharathi’s neighbour, told Deccan Herald that she heard a woman scream for help from the house above at around 8:30 am on Tuesday. “I rushed up and saw a woman set on fire. We poured water over her, covered her with a blanket and rushed her to hospital,” she said.

She said Bharathi had also suffered some burns on his arms. He is also being treated at the burns ward at Victoria Hospital. Pavitra’s family has demanded that Bharathi be arrested immediately.

Sandeep Patil, DCP (North), told Deccan Herald that he had recorded Pavitra’s statement in the presence of Manorama, tahsildar, Bangalore (North), in which she has stated that she had a bitter tiff with Bharathi and that he poured kerosene over her and put the match.

Hebbal Police have registered a case of attempt-to-murder against Bharathi and are investigating the matter.