Woman sets self on fire, dies

A 27-year-old woman, who had set herself ablaze at her Shravan Nagar residence in Charkop a fortnight ago, succumbed to her burns injuries at Bhagwati hospital on Friday.

A 27-year-old woman, who had set herself ablaze at her Shravan Nagar residence in Charkop a fortnight ago, succumbed to her burns injuries at Bhagwati hospital on Friday.

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Her husband, who had tried to save her, had died four days ago at a Nashik hospital.

In her statement to the police, Smita Pawar had said that she was worried about her family’s financial condition and so had taken the drastic step. Based on this statement, the Charkop police have registered a case of accidental death.

“Smita had been trying to get a job as a teacher for a long time. Her husband Hemant, who was a teacher at a Gorai school, earned Rs 5,000 a month, which was not enough to run the household,” said an officer from the Charkop police station.

On December 10 night, when her husband, Hemant Pawar, 30, and two-year-old daughter were asleep, Smita poured kerosene on her body and set herself on fire. “Hemant woke up on hearing her screams and rushed to save her. But he too got severely burnt while saving her. The neighbours rushed the couple to a local hospital,” said assistant police inspector Nilesh Patil.