SANGEM: In a shocking act of violence, a man poured petrol on his mother and set her ablaze at their home in Kuntapally village of Sangem mandal in Warangal district in the early hours of Saturday.The 60-year-old victim, Muttineni Vinoda, suffered 80% burns and is battling for her life at MGM Hospital in Warangal. According to subinspector L Naresh, the accused, Muttineni Satish, is an alcoholic who had been harassing his parents—Vinoda and Sambaiah—for money.A year ago, he had attempted to harm his mother by setting fire to dry grass thrown on her. She escaped with minor injuries then. But on Saturday morning, Satish returned to their house carrying a bottle of petrol. He poured it on his sleeping mother. Sambaiah woke up due to the strong smell of petrol and tried to intervene, but Satish managed to lit the matchstick.Vinoda’s clothes caught fire, and she was engulfed in flames. Neighbours rushed to the house after hearing the commotion and helped douse the flames. She was shifted to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she sustained severe burns and is being treated in the critical care unit.Vinoda and Sambaiah had received Rs 20 lakh compensation after their agricultural land was acquired by the govt for a textile park project. Of this, Rs 15 lakh was equally shared between Satish and his sister, while the remaining ?5 lakh was deposited in a bank for the elderly couple’s livelihood.Satish used his share to purchase agricultural land near his in-laws’ house at Machapur village in Geesugonda mandal.However, over the past six months, he began pressuring his parents for more money, accusing them of transferring extra funds to his sister and denying him his rightful share. Despite the parents’ repeated explanation that no extra money remained, Satish remained aggressive and unrelenting, police said. Police meanwhile have taken up an investigation into the case.
