MYSURU: A 27-year-old youth committed suicide after setting his lover on fire inside the car for opposing marriage. The youth has been identified as Sreenivas, a tractor driver of Mambally and the woman as Kanchana (25), a nurse of Chamarajanagar district hospital and a resident of Mambally.

The incident happened at Therampally village in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district. The two have been in love for years. However, Kanchana refused to marry him despite his repeated insistence. She asked him to wait for some more time. This led to the heinous crime.

His friends had told him that Kanchana's family would not agree to the marriage as he was a tractor driver. He had tried to commit suicide three months ago but escaped somehow.

On Friday evening, Srinivas reached the hospital in his uncle's car and took Kanchana to Therampally lake. Police said then he locked the doors of the car, doused petrol on the vehicle and then to their bodies and set fire. Although the locals rushed to the spot seeing the fire emanating from the car, they could not save the two.