Mumbai woman sets herself on fire after teenage daughter demands mobile phone

She had told her 14-year-old daughter that she didn’t have money to buy a phone, which had upset the girl and caused a fight between the two

A 33-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by setting herself on fire in Kurar area of Malad (East) on Friday after she fought with her daughter over the teenager’s demand for a new mobile phone.

The police said Varsha Pawar lived with her husband and two daughters aged 14 and 15 in Omkar building in Kurar village and her younger daughter had been asking for a mobile phone for sometime.

Pawar told her daughter that she didn’t have money to buy a phone. This had upset the daughter and caused a fight between the two, said the police. “On Friday, she set herself ablaze. Her family doused the fire and rushed her to a hospital. She had suffered 70% burns and succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday,” said Uday Rajeshirke, senior inspector at Kurar police station.

The Kurar police said they have recorded statements of witnesses and have got no complaints from any member of her family. “We have filed an accidental death report. There are no allegations from anyone,” added Rajeshirke.