A 26-year-old woman suffered serious burn injuries after a man allegedly set her house on fire in an alleged case of unrequited love in Odisha's Sundargarh district. The accused has been arrested, and further investigation is underway, police said. The incident took place late on Friday night at a village in Bisra block of the district.
According to the preliminary investigation, the accused was allegedly obsessed with the woman and attacked her after she rejected his marriage proposal. Police said the woman was asleep inside her room when the accused allegedly poured petrol through a window before setting it on fire with the intention of killing her.
The victim's father, Jena Toppo, alleged that his younger brother's wife spotted the accused, identified as Rajat Kiro, near the window moments before the fire broke out. He further claimed that Kiro had harassed his daughter on several occasions after she rejected his marriage proposal.
Hearing the woman's screams and noticing the flames, family members and local residents rushed to the spot, rescued her from the burning house and shifted her to a private hospital in Rourkela. Doctors said she sustained severe burn injuries – around 40 per cent, according to hospital sources – and remains in critical condition.
Police, accompanied by a scientific investigation team, inspected the scene and collected forensic evidence. Investigators suspect the attack was motivated by the accused's obsession with the woman, though the exact circumstances are still being probed.
"The accused has been arrested and will be produced before the court. Further investigation is going on," police told the reporters.
