Argument over daughter's love: housewife sets house on fire; three dead

KOTTAYAM: A housewife who locked herself in the house and poured petrol on herself and set herself on fire has died. It happened after an argument over her daughter's love affair. While trying to save the lady, her husband and daughter too died. Her son suffered burns. The fire spread and the house was completely gutted. The deceased are Puthanpurakkal Sathyapalan (53), his wife Sreeja (Seethamma, 48) and daughter Anjali (29). Their son Akhilesh (Unnikkuttan, 25) is undergoing treatment at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital.

The incident took place at 12.30 pm yesterday. Seeing the commotion, fire and smoke rising from the house, the locals rushed to the house and tried to douse it with water, but they could not. They bravely broke the door and took Anjali and Sathyapalan out and took them to the hospital. Sreeja's body was later found. Akhilesh, who was in the bathroom, saw the fire and ran out, getting burnt. Sathyapalan and Anjali were admitted to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital, but died in the evening.

Anjali, who was working abroad, had returned to the country four days ago. Sathyapalan, who used to run a tea shop, later started a company that rents microphone sets. Anjali was close to a young man who worked nearby. The two decided to get married. However, their parents opposed it. Yesterday afternoon, the young man and his friends went to Anjali's house and after returning, a fight broke out.

Sreeja took petrol that she had bought for use in her husband's company, poured it on her body and set her on fire. While trying to save Sreeja, Anjali and Sathyapalan suffered serious burns. Meanwhile, the house also caught fire. The fire was put out by the fire brigade from Kanjirappally.

Sreeja's body is at the Kanjirappally Taluk Hospital morgue, while the bodies of Sathyapalan and Anjali are at the Medical College Hospital morgue. Erumeli SI G. Rajesh said that further investigation will be conducted into the incident.