HYDERABAD: A 26-year-old woman was burnt alive by her husband inside their rented house in Tilak Nagar in the early hours of Wednesday.
The victim, Chityala Triveni, a hotel worker, succumbed to her burns at Gandhi Hospital at around 4 am and her husband, 32-year-old daily-wage labourer K Venkatesh, was arrested on Thursday.
According to the complaint lodged by Triveni’s father, Chityala Appaiah (48), a farmer, the couple had moved from their native Huzur Nagar to Hyderabad five years ago.
They had been living for the past year at a house in Tilak Nagar along with their two children, Naresh (8) and Sathvika (6).
Family members told police that Venkatesh had been accusing his wife of infidelity and harassing her for several years.
At around 12.30 am on Wednesday, neighbour M Madhu, a food-delivery executive returning from work, noticed flames coming from Venkatesh’s house and alerted other tenants.
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Techie kills wife: How friend’s 'divorce notice' claim became the trigger; probe reveals new detailsMadhu went to the room and found the front door open. He saw Triveni engulfed in fire and neighbours rushed her to Gandhi Hospital, where she died while undergoing treatment, Nallakunta inspector K Maruti Prasad said.
During a preliminary probe, the couple’s son Naresh told investigators that his father woke him up, showed him a bottle of petrol and took the boy outside before giving him a samosa and saying, "your mother will die today".
Venkatesh then doused Triveni with petrol and set her ablaze. Sathvika, who was sleeping on a mattress near her mother’s cot, ran out of the room after her mother was set alight.
"The girl woke up hearing her mother scream and her father run out. She also ran out of the house. She did not sustain any injuries," the inspector said.
Based on Appaiah’s complaint, Nallakunta police registered a case under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Venkatesh.
The accused was arrested on Thursday night from Nallakunta. The body was handed over to relatives after post-mortem on Thursday. The accused will be produced before the court for remand on Friday.
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He has been reporting crime, courts, politics, transport, and civ...
Read MoreHe has been reporting crime, courts, politics, transport, and civic issues for 18 years. Currently working for The Times of India as an Assistant Editor in Hyderabad. He has worked with the Delhi-NCR edition of the Times of India in the past. He has also have audio-visual media and research experience.
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