Woman set ablaze by drunk husband in Kapra, dies

Hyderabad: Vemula Mangamma, 48, who was set ablaze by her drunk husband in a locked room while she was asleep in Kapra, succumbed to burns in the wee hours of Tuesday.

She had received 90 per cent burns after her husband Mallesham emptied a kerosene can and set her on fire. Their two sons, asleep in the next room, could not come to her rescue as Mallesham had locked the door from outside. Hearing her loud cries, neighbours rushed in and even freed her sons, but by then she was totally burnt.

Jawaharnagar police who had earlier booked a case for attempt to murder altered the charges to murder. “Teams are on job to nab the suspect,” Inspector V.V. Chalapathi said.

Mallesham Goud and Mangamma had been married for the last 32 years and shifted to the city from their native at Yadadri district and settled at Jammigadda in Kapra along with sons Naresh and Mahesh.

Mallesham who was an alcoholic had been torturing Mangamma for the past many years. He would often beat her in an inebriated condition. A few years ago, he went back to his native place, while Mangamma stayed back with her sons.

A year ago, Mallesham returned and had then assaulted Mangamma and injured her right hand, after which he went back to his village.

He came back recently and had since then been regularly consuming liquor and harassing his wife.

Early on Monday, he locked the room where his sons were asleep and came to Mangamma’s room. He emptied a kerosene can on her and set her ablaze and fled the scene. Based on Naresh’s complaint, police booked a case and the body was handed over to the family after autopsy.