A 70-year-old man set his apartment ablaze and hanged himself in north Delhi's Ashok Vihar area early on Thursday over not being able to find a groom for his 38-year-old daughter, police said.

"The deceased has been identified as Brij Mohan Sabarwal. His daughter Yogita said that she woke up around 5 am and found the house filled with smoke and furniture on fire," a senior police officer said.

She found her father's body hanging from the window grill with a stole tied around his neck, he said.

She told police that Sabarwal was upset last night over his failure to find a groom for her despite looking for a suitable match for nearly a decade.

Before taking the drastic step Sabarwal also had a long chat with his daughter and then asked her to leave him alone, said police.

The fire in the apartment was later doused by fire tenders rushed to the spot. There was no other casualty, he said.

The financial condition of the deceased was not good which was one reasons he was unable to marry his daughter off, he added.