A 16-year-old girl from Virar is battling for her life at JJ Hospital after she was allegedly set on fire by her 40-year-old father on Monday. The accused was apparently angry with his daughter because she was continuously hooked to her mobile phone.

The arrested accused has been identified as Mohammad Mansuri, originally from Bihar, and who works as a tailor and lives with his wife and four children.

Speaking about the case, an officer from Virar police station said, "Mansuri didn't approve of his eldest daughter, a Class IV dropout, speaking to her friends on the phone. He had twice warned her to not do so, and they once had a heated argument over the issue. The girl told her father that her mobile was lost, but when he caught her talking on the phone on Monday again, he got furious and poured kerosine on her and set her ablaze."

At the time of the incident, the victim's mother wasn't home, he added. She rushed to help as soon as she heard her daughter's cries for help. The victim's mother, along with neighbours, rushed the girl to a local hospital, and the girl was later shifted to JJ Hospital with 70 per cent burns.

Mansuri has been arrested and booked on charges of attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code. "Mansuri is now repenting his action and says that the crime was committed in a fit of rage," said the officer.