All for a puff: Denied cigarette, man sets family and their shop on fire

A couple and their infant daughter were set afire by a disgruntled customer late on Wednesday night in Giridih for refusing to give him cigarettes.

A couple and their infant daughter were set afire by a disgruntled customer late on Wednesday night in Giridih for refusing to give him cigarettes.

A couple and their infant daughter were set afire by a disgruntled customer late on Wednesday night in Giridih for refusing to give him cigarettes. (AFP)

According to reports, the victim, Mahmood — a shop owner in Kuraishi Mohalla — had retired for the night with his wife Chameli Khatun and their one-and-a-halfyear-old daughter when one Md Saddam knocked on their door for a cigarette. Shop owner Mahmood had retired for the night with his wife and their one-and-ahalf-year-old daughter when Md Saddam knocked on their

When Mahmood refused, Saddam set the hut, which doubled as a shop, on fire.

The attack, however, did not stop there. When the family rushed out of the burning hut, an infuriated Saddam poured petrol on Mahmood, his wife and his daughter and set them on fire.

A crowd gathered hearing the commotion and rushed the family to Sadar hospital, where doctors referred them to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi, after administering first aid.

“A police officer rushed to Sadar hospital to record the statement of the injured victims. By the time he reached the hospital, the victims had left for RIMS and therefore could not record their statement,” said a police official, adding that no action could be initiated in the absence of a complaint.

According to recent information, Anjuman Islamia, a local educational group, has decided to take up the case on behalf of the victims.