A 23-year-old woman was set ablaze by her former husband in Trichy on Monday. The woman suffered 40% burns while the man is absconding.
According to the police, Ramya (23) and Thavachelvan (27) got married a few years ago and got divorced recently. Ramya, whose native is Thanjavur, opted to pursue law in the Government Law College in Trichy after the divorce, while Thavachelvan is reportedly working for a private company in Sriperumbudur near Chennai.
On Monday, around 11.50 am, Thavachelvan doused petrol on Ramya and set her ablaze inside the room of a hotel in Trichy. “They were trying to patch up and may be give their marriage another try and hence both of them were staying together in the hotel. We are not yet sure of what prompted him to set her on fire though,” a police officer told TNM.
Ramya, who was rushed to the Trichy Government hospital immediately suffered 40% burns on her body. Thavachelvan is, meanwhile, absconding. The police have registered an FIR against him for attempt to murder (IPC 307) and are yet to secure him.
Speaking to TNM about the incident, the inspector of KK Nagar police station said that a special team has been formed by the Commissioner of Police, who are now on the lookout for Thavachelvan. “We will soon secure him and are sure more details will emerge once investigation starts,” he said.
In 2017, a stalker set a 22-year-old woman Induja on fire in Chennai. The incident happened in Adambakkam in Chennai when Aakash, who had been stalking Induja for over a month, landed on her doorstep to profess his ‘love’ for her. As she spurned him like she had always done, he set Induja and her mother on fire and escaped. In the altercation, Induja’s younger sister Nivedha also suffered burns on her body. Induja died in the attack while her mother and sister were admitted to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
(This is a developing story)