PUNE: The

on Wednesday arrested a 25-year-old unemployed man for setting his wife ablaze over a dispute of not visiting their village at Parbhani because of coronavirus, among other reasons. The man attempted to harm his wife at their Gokulnagar residence on Katraj-Kondhwa bypass road around 7.30am on Tuesday.

The victim Changuna Joagdand (22) has sustained 65% burn injuries. She is recuperating at the Sassoon General Hospital. The accused Haridas Gangadhar Joagdand has been remanded in police custody till March 22.

The police had initially registered a complaint of accident after the woman gave a statement that she sustained injuries because her dupatta had caught fire while heating water. A police officer said, “After her relatives visited her, Changuna changed her statement and stated that her husband had poured kerosene on her before setting her ablaze. Her statement, recorded in the presence of a medical officer, was converted into an FIR.”

Senior inspector Vinayak Gaikwad from the Kondhwa police station said, “The couple had been quarrelling after Haridas told his wife that they would shift to their village in Parbhani but she refused because of coronavirus, among other reasons.”

“In a fit of rage, the accused poured kerosene on his wife and threw a matchstick upon her. We have arrested Haridas on the charge of attempting to commit murder of his wife under Section 307 of the

,” Gaikwad said.

Sub-inspector Nilesh Chavan from the

police chowky said, “The couple got married in July last year and moved to Pune around four months ago. Haridas initially worked at a fuel station but he later lost his job.”

Chavan said, “Haridas started arguing with his wife about shifting to Parbhani but she refused because she was working in a mall and it was not possible for her to apply for leave. Secondly, she was not willing to leave Pune.”

“The woman resisted her husband and raised an alarm after the suspect set her ablaze. The husband later doused off the fire and with the help of their landlord and shifted her to

to seek treatment,” Chavan added.