MP: Woman Burnt to Death by Kin in Front of Her Children, Accused Arrested

BHOPAL: A 33-year-old woman in a Madhya Pradesh village was burnt to death by her brother-in-law in front of her two children, police said on Sunday.

The horrific incident took place in the village of Dhodhar under Ratlam district late on Saturday.

According to the police, the accused Suresh Rathore (40) first attacked Nirmala (33), widow of his younger brother, with an iron rod and then doused her with petrol before setting her on fire.

The victim, mother of an 11-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter, came out of her house after being set ablaze crying her help. However, the villagers had remained mute spectators without being able to come to her rescue since the accused was chasing her with the iron rod in his hand.

Nirmala later slumped on the ground and died, police said.

“The accused was arrested. He confessed to the crime. We are probing the motive of the murder”, Ratlam district superintendent of police Rahul Kumar Lodhi said on Sunday.

The accused suspected the victim’s character and held her responsible for the death of his younger brother Prakash by suicide in June this year, police quoting the Suresh said.

“We are also probing the death of the younger brother of the accused”, Mr Lodhi said.

The slain woman’s brother Devilal however alleged that his sister was murdered by her brother-in-law to grab her property.

According to the police, the victim’s husband had allegedly committed suicide on June six this year, two days after distribution of parental properties between him and his elder brother.

His body had been recovered from a farm land.

A purported suicide note left by him indicated that his wife was not happy with the distribution of properties among the two brothers.