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Two found dead in Kerala, police suspect suicide
According to the police, relatives of the man said both were in a relationship and wanted to get married.
A 23-year-old man allegedly set a 17-year-old girl on fire and both succumbed to their burn injuries in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday, police said, adding they suspect it to be a case of murder-suicide.
According to the police, relatives of the man said both were in a relationship and wanted to get married. But his family members asked the man to wait till the girl attain the permissible age of 18, police said.
On Sunday, the man invited the girl to his home in Kollangode town to celebrate his birthday. “His family members were not aware of her presence in the house. His mother said they noticed commotion after smoke started billowing out of the room,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.
The man had used kerosene to set both on fire, the officer added.
The family members doused the fire and rushed both of them to a nearby hospital, where they succumbed to burn injuries, police said, adding the two had suffered 60% burns.
The 23-year-old’s neighbours told the police that he worked as an electrician and was disturbed in last few weeks. He had told his friends that the girl’s family was trying to separate both deliberately, police said.
Going by initial inquiry, it seems like a planned crime, a senior police officer in the district said, also wishing not to be named. “We are investigating the case in detail. Bodies will be handed over to their families after post-mortem,” the officer added.
