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17-yr-old girl dies after being set afire by stalker in Andhra: Cops
The incident took place at Byreddy Nagar Colony in Nandikotkur town at around 1am, a police officer said.
Hyderabad: A 21-year-old stalker allegedly burnt alive a 17-year-old girl at her grandparent’s residence, where she was staying, in Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours on Monday, the police said, adding the accused has been arrested.
The incident took place at Byreddy Nagar Colony in Nandikotkur town at around 1am, a police officer said.
“She was charred to death on the spot. The accused also suffered burn injuries. He was caught by the neighbours while trying to flee the spot and handed over to the police,” a senior officer from the Nandikotkuru police station said.
The accused, a resident of Kalugotla village, had been stalking the girl, who was from Samarlakota, for the past few years, but she refused his advances, police said. To avoid harassment, the girl, a Class 12 student, moved to her grandmother’s residence in Nandikotkur six months ago. “Yet, the man kept stalking her,” the officer said.
A little before 1am on Monday, he came to her grandmother’s house and knocked on the door of the room the girl was in. After she opened the door, he entered the room and bolted it from the inside. “He took out a bottle of petrol and poured it on her before setting her on fire,” the officer said.
Upon hearing her screams, the girl’s grandmother woke up and raised an alarm, but the accused did not open the door. After she was completely burnt, he came out with some burn injuries, the police said. When he attempted to flee, her grandmother and some neighbours caught him and informed the police.
“On receiving the information, we rushed to the spot and took him into custody. We have booked a case of murder and shall produce him in the court,” the officer said.
State home minister Vangalapudi Anitha expressed shock over the incident and spoke with Nandyal SP Adhirraj Singh Rana. “It is deeply distressing. I have asked the SP to fast-track the investigation and take stringent action against the accused,” Anitha said in a statement.
