‘Was the car deliberately set on fire?’ Family raises allegations against husband in pregnant woman’s death

KOZHIKODE: The family of the pregnant woman who died after a moving car caught fire in Cheruvannur near Perambra has raised serious allegations, claiming that the incident was a planned murder. The deceased is Sona, a native of Cheruvannur. Her relatives said that there are suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

The family has also raised allegations against Sona’s husband, Rajinlal. Speaking to a media outlet, Sona’s uncle A K Sathyan said that if a short circuit had caused the fire, the car would not have burned in such a manner. He alleged that it appeared as though the vehicle had been deliberately set on fire.

“There was something dangerous kept inside the car. Why was Sona made to sit in the back seat instead of the front seat? Everyone in the family has doubts about the incident. Even people from Rajinlal’s locality raised similar suspicions. When the accident happened, Rajin tried to jump into a nearby stream to escape. The rear door did not open. The truth behind the incident must come out,” Sathyan said.

The shocking incident took place around 9.15 pm on Thursday night. Sona was six months pregnant at the time of her death. The accident happened while she and her husband were returning home in a Maruti Suzuki Swift after visiting a doctor. Locals rushed to the scene after noticing flames and smoke coming from the moving vehicle.

Although Rajinlal managed to escape from the driver’s seat, Sona, who was seated in the rear seat, got trapped inside as the door reportedly remained locked. Her body was recovered only after the fire force unit from Perambra reached the spot. Rajinlal also suffered serious burn injuries in the incident. Meanwhile, the district forensic team has found that the fire started from the rear side of the car. Officials also said that a short circuit is unlikely to have caused the fire.