Panchkula A girl aged around 15 died hours after she set herself on fire at a park in Sector 7 on Thursday. The deceased, a resident of Dhakoli, was a student of Class 10 at a private school in Panchkula.
The girl took the drastic step at around 8pm. Panchkula DCP Kamal Deep Goyal said the girl succumbed to her burn injuries at the PGIMER, Chandigarh. Initially, the girl was rushed to Panchkula civil hospital from where she was referred to PGIMER.
“The girl’s parents have been informed. Till now, the parents have not shared or disclosed anything related to the girl. We are probing the matter,” said the DCP. He said some of victim’s belongings, including a purse containing a knife and some medicines, have been recovered from the spot. Sources said bus tickets of Manali were also there in the bag.
“As per initial probe, it appears that the girl had probably used petrol to set herself ablaze. The motive behind taking such a step is yet to be ascertained,” he added. Some passersby informed the police after seeing the girl on fire and hearing her screams.
Officials privy to the investigation said that the girl had left the house on Wednesday afternoon and did not return. Her mother had called her friends to know about her whereabouts but to no avail.
{{/usCountry}}Officials privy to the investigation said that the girl had left the house on Wednesday afternoon and did not return. Her mother had called her friends to know about her whereabouts but to no avail.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday night, she had picked up her mother’s call and told her that she will return in a while, but she did not. Police have recovered her mobile phone also and prima facie, it seems that the girl had bought petrol from a nearby petrol station in a bottle to set herself on fire.