By Express News Service

BARIPADA: The 25-year-old woman, who was set on fire after being raped by her father-in-law at Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, succumbed to her injuries at around 11.30 pm on Saturday.

The woman, who had sustained 95 per cent burn injuries, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Jamshedpur.

Meanwhile, the 55-year-old accused Ram Gopal Khemka of Bazarsahi under Ward No.5 was arrested by the police on Sunday. Three other accused in the case are absconding.

Following the death, a four-member scientific team, along with investigating officer (IO) Sangita Das, rushed to Jamshedpur hospital for investigation. The team also visited the place where the woman was raped and set afire. As per the orders of Mayurbhanj SP Anirudh Singh, videography of the postmortem on the woman’s body was carried out.

Rairangpur SDPO Amulya Kumar Dhir said the woman’s father Dilip Kumar Agarwal, in his complaint, had stated that Khemka raped her after finding her alone in their house on Friday evening. After raping the woman, Khemka set her on fire to conceal his crime. On spotting smoke billowing out from the house, locals rushed to the spot and found the woman engulfed in flames.

They rushed her to Rairangpur hospital but as her condition deteriorated, she was immediately shifted to a hospital in Jamshedpur.

The SDPO said as per the complaint, the woman was repeatedly sexually exploited by her father-in-law for the last few months. During preliminary investigation, it was found that the woman had recently disclosed the matter to her husband Abinash and also sent a Whatsapp message to her brother who lives at Badagaon village in Sundargarh district, the SDPO said and added that Khemka’s assaults increased after the woman’s disclosure.

Khemka will be produced in court on Monday after necessary medical tests. The accused’s son Abinash, daughter Payal and wife Sunita are on the run, Dhir said. The postmortem and scientific reports are awaited and further investigation is on, he added. The woman was married to Abinash about two and a half years back.