Salem: Not given money for liquor, angry man sets house afire

Salem: A daily wage earner here torched his house to vent out his anger, after his wife refused to give him money to buy liquour.

Sources said that one Venkatachalam (39), residing at Kaliamman Koil street at Zaheer Ammapalayam area here, is working in a local welding unit as a daily wage labourer. The accused lived with his wife, children and his mother.

Venkatachalam was reportedly known to be a chronic alcoholic. Early on Wednesday morning by 5 am, he had woken up his wife and demanded her to give him some money to buy liquour.

His wife refused to give him money, and that led to a war of words between the two.

Frustrated over his wife's response, Venkathachalam threatened that he would torch the house, if he was not given money to buy liquor.

But, his wife did not yield to his taunts. To carry out his threat, Venkatachalam rushed into the kitchen area and tried to open the LPG cylinder to light a fire.

Since this was a little abnormal development for the family, Venkathachalam’s mother, wife and children rushed out of the house immediately in panic.

However, Venkatachalam, who was still seething in anger, lighted the LPG cylinder in his house. As the house caught fire and it spread across the place, Venkathachalam too fled the spot.

Meanwhile, on an alert received from neighbours and passersby, fire and rescue services personnel arrived at the spot and doused the fire. The Sooramangalam police have registered a case. Police have also launched a search for Venkatachalam, who is still absconding.