Man flees after allegedly setting wife on fire in Greater Noida

According to police, it was a neighbour who heard the victim shouting and rushed to help her. He also informed the police and had already taken the woman to a nearby hospital by the time the police arrived.

A 32-year-old woman, a resident of Surajpur area of Greater Noida, was allegedly set ablaze by her husband on Saturday evening following a marital discord. Police said the woman received critical burn injuries and is recuperating in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. No case has been registered yet.

Police said a neighbour, who rushed to the victim’s house on hearing her screams, saw her on fire and her husband had already fled by then. (HT File / Photo used for representational purpose)

According to police officers, the victim, identified as Teeja, lives in a rented accommodation in K Block at Sector Delta 2 in Greater Noida’s Surajpur with her husband and three children.

“Both, the husband and the wife, work as daily wage earners at construction sites in nearby areas. They are originally from Mahoba. On Saturday evening, around 5.30pm, the woman and her husband Binda allegedly got into an argument. A neighbour, Raju Sharma, heard them shouting at each other when all of a sudden, he heard the woman screaming. When he rushed in to help her, he saw that she was on fire and Binda had already fled from the spot,” Munish Chauhan, station house officer, Surajpur police station, said.

The officer said that it was Raju who informed the police about the incident. “However, by the time a police team reached the spot, Raju had already taken the woman to a nearby hospital from where she was referred to the district hospital. She was later transferred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi,” the SHO said.

The officer added that the woman survived only because of Raju’s timely action. “She was critical till Saturday evening. She was reported to be out of danger only by Sunday morning. She is still recuperating,” the officer said.

According to police officers, the husband, Binda, had allegedly poured kerosene on the woman. He is on the run and the police are on the lookout for him.

“So far, we have not received a formal complaint in the matter. We will register a case as soon as we get the complaint,” the SHO said.