Woman dies of burns, names in-laws in dying declaration

A 50-year-old woman, employed with the electricity department, died allegedly due to severe burn injuries after her body caught fire in mysterious circumstances at her home in west Delhi’s Inderpuri on Tuesday, police said.

The woman, in her dying declaration, accused her brother-inlaw and his wife of allegedly pouring kerosene on her and setting her afire.

According to deputy commissioner of police (west) Vijay Kumar, Sushila Devi, employed with North Delhi Power Limited, lived with her step-daughter Indira, 30, on the ground floor of a building in JJ Colony, Inderpuri. Her brother-in-law Subhash and his wife Munni lived on the first floor of the same house.

The DCP said that in her statement to police, Sushila said that around 5.25 am on Tuesday, she was on the ground floor with her stepdaughter, when Subhash and Munni called her to go to the first floor, complaining about some defects in the water supply.

“When I reached their floor, they poured kerosene on me. Munni lit a matchstick and set me on fire,” she told police.

The woman suffered critical burn injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, from where she was shifted to Safdarjung hospital. A police team recorded her statement before she died.

The police took the statements of Indira, their relatives and neighbours. Contrary to the vicAccording tim’s allegations, Indira claimed that she had seen her mother going to the first floor with a plastic bottle filled with kerosene.

“Though Indira was not an eyewitness to the incident, she believes that her stepmother did it herself. She does not suspect Subhash and Munni. Indira told us that Sushila made similar attempts in the past as well, both at their Delhi home and at her parental home in Jaipur,” said the DCP, adding that neighbours supported Indira’s claims.

The police have learnt that Sushila was suffering from cancer and was a diabetic patient. She was also under depression because of her ailing health. “We are not in a position to rule out the murder theory. We will probe both the murder as well as suicide angles,” the DCP said.

Sushila’s second husband Dharam Prakash died in 1989. He had three children from his first marriage; Sushila had none.

STEPDAUGHTER DENIES VICTIM’S STATEMENT, SAYS SHE SAW HER MOTHER WITH A PLASTIC BOTTLE OF KEROSENE