16-year-old fights stalker who tried to burn her alive at her Hyderabad home

In a shocking incident, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly burnt alive in her home by a minor boy for not accepting his marriage proposal. The girl suffered 72 per cent burns while the accused also suffered about 10 per cent burns. She is currently in critical condition at Osmania General Hospital.

The victim is a school dropout who lives with her mother and two younger brothers. A few years ago, her father passed away and her mother juggles a few odd jobs to feed the family. According to police, the girl was allegedly friends with the accused who works as a vegetable vendor at Khader Bagh. 

The girl's engagement to another man 15 days ago triggered the incident. Speaking to media, the girl recounted the horror of that night. "He was my classmate in school when we were in Class-X. He came to my house when I was alone and fought with me. He asked for my fiance's mobile number and when I refused, beat me up and kicked the almirah to find my mobile phone." 

She vividly recalls how livid he was. "He picked up kerosene which was on the table and poured it on me and started to search for a matchbox. By then, I poured water on myself. But, he then pushed me on the bed, lit the stove, snatched my dupatta, lit it and threw it over me." She added that the accused wanted to lock the door from outside but she managed to stop him. 

"He ran outside on seeing my burning. I again tried to douse the flames with water. Hearing my screams, my neighbours rushed to rescue," she said. Though the accused managed to escape the spot, he was picked up later by the police. 

"It's not a case of harassment as they knew each other but, a case for attempt to murder will be booked," said Amberpet inspector AP Anand Kumar.