Young woman techie burnt alive by stalker; mother, sister sustain critical burns

Chennai, Nov 14: In a horrendous incident coming from the city of Chennai, a 22-year-old girl died on Monday after a man who is reported to be a former classmate and long-time stalker set her on fire. The mother and sister of the deceased also suffered severe burns while trying to save her. The sister is currently under treatment in a hospital ICU while the mother has suffered at least 49% burns. The police have taken up the matter and have launched an investigation.

According to reports, the incident occurred late Monday night in Adambakkam area when Akash, classmate of the girl, barged at the residence of Indhuja, engineering graduate, and called her out the house. When she opened the door and stepped out, Akash splashed petrol at her and set her on fire. Seeing Indhuja on fire, her mother and sister tried to douse the flames and control the damage but failed. Her father was not at home when the entire incident happened. As per the witnesses present at the spot, the hospital ambulance took almost 40 minutes to reach the residence after receiving a call from a neighbour.

Indhuja succumbed to the injuries while her mother and sister were admitted to hospital in critical condition after they suffered fatal burns. After being nabbed by the police, Akash maintains that he and Indhuja were in love and were planning to marry but there was resistance from the family of the girl. On another hand, the family says that Akash has been stalking and harassing Indhuja from past one month. When she refused him, he executed the horrible act.

There have been several cases reported in the past year where jilted lovers have taken deadly revenge on women. A couple of years ago, a man threw acid on a young woman after she refused his proposal to marry him. The woman died while undergoing treatment in a hospital.