Kasaragod woman, set on fire by Tamil Nadu native, succumbs to burns

KASARAGOD: A woman, undergoing treatment for burns after being set on fire by a harasser, died on Tuesday. The victim was identified as C Ramitha (27), who ran a grocery shop in a rented building at Bedadka, Kasaragod.

The woman, who suffered more than 50 percent burns, was admitted to Kanhangad District Hospital and later to a private hospital in Mangaluru.

Police arrested Ramamrutham (57), a native of Chinnapatnam, Tamil Nadu, who runs a furniture shop near Ramitha's. Ramitha had complained to the building owner about Ramamrutham causing disturbances to her after coming drunk to the shop. Following this, the building owner asked Ramamrutham to vacate the shop.

Raged over this, Ramamrutham reached her shop on the 8th of April and poured thinner used for furniture work on Ramitha's body. He then set her on fire. The rescue operation was carried out by nearby residents and private bus employees who rushed to the scene thinking that the building was on fire. Meanwhile, the bus employees caught the suspect, who tried to escape by boarding the bus and handed him over to the police.

Ramitha’s eight-year-old son and her classmate, who was alongside her during the incident, narrowly escaped. Ramamrutham had earlier issued death threats to Ramitha.