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A day after a woman contract worker was set ablaze at the Ponneri Government Hospital in Tiruvallur district, the police shot the alleged perpetrator in the leg while attempting to apprehend him near Chennai’s Madhavaram.
The accused, identified as Prakash (35), allegedly poured petrol on Rajeshwari (24), a temporary worker at the hospital, and set her on fire on the evening of Monday, September 21.
Rajeshwari sustained over 48% burns and was shifted to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai for further treatment.
According to reports, a special team formed under Ponneri Inspector Sivakumar to trace Prakash located him in the Madhavaram area early Tuesday, September 22. The police are said to have surrounded him in an attempt to apprehend him when he allegedly tried to flee and attacked sub-inspector Tamizharasan.
Inspector Sivakumar then opened fire, hitting Prakash in the leg. He was subsequently apprehended and admitted to a nearby government hospital for treatment under police surveillance.
The attack on Rajeshwari took place at around 7.15 pm on Monday, when she was leaving the Ponneri Government Hospital after completing her duty. She was working as a data entry operator on a contract basis at the hospital’s emergency department.
At the time of the incident, Rajeshwari was carrying her belongings and walking towards the exit when Prakash approached her near the ramp outside the casualty ward. He allegedly took out a plastic bottle containing petrol, poured it over her and set her on fire.
Rajeshwari raised an alarm as the flames spread across her body. Hospital staff and the public rushed to her aid, put out the fire and took her to the emergency department. Doctors found burns on her face, chest and lower abdomen, besides injuries to other parts of her body.
Prakash allegedly fled the hospital immediately after the attack.
Following the incident, Ponneri police registered a case and began efforts to identify and trace the accused. They examined CCTV footage from cameras installed near the casualty ward and questioned hospital staff and others who were present at the time of the attack.
Police are also probing whether Rajeshwari knew the accused and whether the attack was connected to a personal dispute.