india

Updated: Mar 12, 2019 22:26 IST

A 20-year-old man allegedly stabbed and set on fire a woman because she refused his marriage proposal in Kerala on Tuesday, police said.

The incident happened on a busy road in Kottayam district when the woman, who too is 20 years old, was on way to her college in the morning. The woman is pursuing a diploma course in radiology at a private institute in Thiruvalla.

Passersby caught hold of the suspect, who was later arrested. The woman has been admitted to a hospital with 70% burns, where she is reported to be in a critical condition.

“CCTV visuals from a nearby spot showed the woman and the accused, Ajin Rei Mathew, walking together and engaged in an argument. Stabbed, she fell and he poured petrol on her and set her afire,” said Pathanamthitta SP C Jaydev.

“It is a planned attack,” Jaydev said, adding that Mathew will be booked for attempt to murder (Section 307) and other charges. Police have also recovered a petrol bottle from the spot.

According to a report in news agency PTI, police said the accused was a classmate of the woman in school. The accused told police that the two had been in a relationship since school, but the woman refused to marry him.

“The accused, Ajin Reji Mathew, was arrested from the scene. He was the girl’s classmate in grade 12,” PTI quoted a police official as saying.

Police said they will get a clearer idea of the case after taking the statements of the woman’s family.