Woman sustains burns at inlaws’ house, critical

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old woman suffered burns at her in-laws’ home i n southwest Delhi’s Shyam Enclave near Chhawla on Thursday morning. She sustained about 25% burn injuries to her legs and stomach and is undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital. Her condition was said to be serious.

Police said the woman’s family members have accused her in-laws of setting her on fire. Her husband and mother-in-law are missing since the incident was reported to the police. Police are probing the incident from an attempt to suicide angle as well. They have requested the local subdivisional magistrate (SDM) to conduct a probe since the woman got married only three years ago and the incident happened within seven years of the marriage.

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said the police control room received a call at 11.50am alerting them about the fire. “The woman’s family members were present at the spot but her in-laws were missing. She was admitted to the hospital for treatment,” Alphonse said.

During the inquiry, a police officer said it was learnt that the woman had a dispute with her husband and in-laws and she had also filed a complaint accusing her husband and in-laws of physical abuse. “Their differences were resolved by counsellors but the couple lived separately. Her husband was living in a rented room in the same locality. His mother used to shuffle between the two houses,” the officer said.

Police said on Wednesday, the woman and her mother-in-law had separately called the police control room and accused each other of assault. The woman’s family members had also arrived in the evening after they were informed about the fight.