A 45-year-old autorickshaw driver allegedly set his mother on fire following an argument over his marriage. The elderly woman later died while undergoing treatment for severe burn injuries, police officials said on Sunday.
The incident was reported around midnight on Friday in Mahindale village in Dhule taluka. The deceased has been identified as 65-year-old Jijabai Bhatu Khairnar-Patil. According to preliminary police information, her son, Pradeep alias Dagdu Bhatu Khairnar-Patil, had been upset for a long time as his marriage had not been arranged.
Police sources said the accused allegedly returned home in an intoxicated state late at night and began questioning his mother over why his marriage was still not fixed. The argument between the two soon turned heated. In a fit of rage, he allegedly poured a flammable substance on his mother and set her ablaze inside the house.
Vishal Anand, superintendent of Dhule police, said, “As per the initial information, the accused was upset over his marriage. On the day of the incident, after the arguments with his mother, the accused threw kerosene on his mother and set her on fire. Later, he hospitalised her, but she died during the treatment.”
Anand said, “The accused was arrested, and further investigation is going on.”
Police investigation found that the accused tried to pretend it was an accidental burn case. However, the hospital administration informed the police before the woman’s death; the police recorded her statement, based on which the accused was arrested later.
Police said the process of registering a formal case is underway, and further investigation is in progress.
