Hyderabad: 12-year-old boy sets himself on fire after watching cartoon, dies

“The boy’s grandfather says that the deceased shouted that he (the boy) is also burning like a character in the cartoon film,” police said.

A 12-year-old boy allegedly set himself afire after watching a cartoon on television and later succumbed to his burn injuries.

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The Balapur police received information on Thursday (June 1) that Jayadeep Madugula was found in flames at around 10 am on the terrace of his grandparents’ residence on the city’s outskirts.

He was immediately shifted to a private hospital where he was given first aid. Later the boy was admitted to Osmania General Hospital where he died on Saturday while undergoing treatment, sub-inspector Vishnuvardhan Reddy said.

“The boy’s grandfather says that the deceased shouted that he (the boy) is also burning like a character in the cartoon film. But we are not sure if the boy committed the act to imitate any cartoon character,” Reddy told PTI.

“We also don’t see any reason at this point as to why he took this step,” Reddy told PTI.

A case has been registered, he added.