A 17-year old girl in Kerala’s Kochi died after she was set on fire by a man who allegedly wanted to marry her and had been rejected by her, police said, Malayala Manorama reported.
The accused, identified as Midhun from North Paravu, arrived at the girl’s house at 12.15 am on Thursday, PTI said, and demanded to see her but was stopped by her father.
According to Mathrubhumi’s report, Midhun poured petrol on the 17-year-old when she stepped out of the house and set her on fire.
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Police say Midhun was also engulfed by the fire and suspect that he had embraced the girl after setting her ablaze, PTI reported.
The girl and the man were both taken to the Ernakulam Medical College, where they were declared dead, NDTV says.
The girl’s father, Shalan, also suffered burn injuries when he tried to shield his daughter from Midhun, according to PTI, and has been admitted to a hospital.
Police were alerted about the incident by neighbours.
PTI reports the incident occurred at Athani in Kakkanad under Info Park police station limit. Thrikkakara MLA PT Thomas has demanded a thorough probe into it, the news agency says.
Manorama lists the recent cases in Kerala where women have been killed for rejecting marriage proposals.