A youngster allegedly set fire to his girlfriend's residence in Odisha's Bhadrak district after she denied his marriage proposal, police said yesterday, Wednesday, December 19.

The incident occurred in the Anandpur village, located in the Dhamnagar block of the district. The perpetrator, Jyoti Ranjan Das (28), who resided in Vidyadharpur village in Chudakuti Panchayat, has been missing since the incident, police said.

They added that that no one was wounded from the fire, India Today reports.

Jyoti was in a relationship with a woman from Gopal Sahi in Anandpur Panchayat. The woman said that he had been pressing her to marry him and threatened to leak photos of their intimate moments if she did not accept.

The woman filed a complaint with Dhamnagar police, alleging that Jyoti had made death threats and tried to compel her into meeting with him several times.

The scenario became dangerous when Jyoti allegedly set fire to her house.

"The fire destroyed five sheds and reduced all valuables, including gold jewellery, furniture, rice, and important documents, to ashes," the woman told India Today. Property worth Rs 15 lakh was destroyed in the fire, she added.

After the complaint, Dhamnagar police opened a case and conducted an investigation. However, the accused fled the scene, forcing the woman and her family to demand his immediate arrest.

"The accused is a threat to our safety. If not apprehended soon, he might commit further heinous acts," the victim told reporters.