A 32-year-old man allegedly raped a woman in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior and set her on fire days later along with her husband and their seven-year-old daughter after they mustered courage and tried to file a rape case against him. He poured petrol on them and set them afire on Monday night after the husband went to a local police station to lodge a First Information Report (FIR). The personnel on duty did not lodge an FIR, said the woman in her statement to police on Monday night.
The three were rushed to a government hospital with severe burn injuries and their condition was said to be serious. When police went to arrest the accused, his family told them he too had received burn injuries and was admitted to a private hospital, said Gwalior police superintendent Amit Sanghi.
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Sanghi said the woman’s husband said his friend allegedly raped his wife on October 31 when she was alone at home. “[The accused] threatened the woman of dire consequences if she informed anyone about the crime. The woman informed her husband but the couple could not muster the courage to lodge the FIR against the accused which further emboldened him and he started exerting pressure on the woman to meet him.”
Sanghi said on Monday, the woman refused to meet the accused and her husband went to the police station to lodge the FIR. “The accused came to know about it and he entered the victim’s house the same night and set the victim’s husband afire. When the woman and her seven-year-old daughter rushed to the rescue of the man, the accused also poured petrol on them and set them afire.”
{{/usCountry}}Sanghi said on Monday, the woman refused to meet the accused and her husband went to the police station to lodge the FIR. “The accused came to know about it and he entered the victim’s house the same night and set the victim’s husband afire. When the woman and her seven-year-old daughter rushed to the rescue of the man, the accused also poured petrol on them and set them afire.”
{{/usCountry}}Police were looking for the accused and searching private hospitals in Gwalior. “We are also inquiring about the accusations made by the victim that police at Thatipur police station did not lodge her rape complaint...” said Sanghi.