WOMAN DIES A WEEK AFTER BEING SET ON FIRE BY ESTRANGED HUSBAND

Estranged hubby attacked victim while she was preparing to cook

A44-YEAR-OLD woman, who was set ablaze by her estranged husband on May 26, died on Tuesday without regaining consciousness.

During the incident, her husband entered the house and threw Molotov cocktails at her.

When she screamed in pain, her 19-year-old son rushed out of his room and saw his mother engulfed in flames while his father was seen fleeing the scene.

Known only as Ratna, the victim lived in Taman Aked here with her three children.

She was rushed into the bathroom to douse the flames and taken to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital.

According to a neighbour, who refused to be named, Ratna was a friendly person, but occasionally the former would hear heated arguments with a man who visited the house from time to time.

Neighbours learnt that the man was her estranged husband.

Kuala Muda district deputy police chief Superintendent Saifi Abd Hamid yesterday said investigations revealed that Ratna was attacked by her husband when she was preparing to cook on May 26.

He said the man had came from the back alley before hurling Molotov cocktails at Ratna.

“They had been living separately for almost 10 years and the man had been persuading the victim to reconcile with him. The victim refused and had instead filed for a divorce, which left the man infuriated.”

Saifi said the husband, from Bedong, had been living on the streets for the past two years.

He said the man was arrested two hours after attacking Ratna,

Police reclassified the case under Section 302 of Penal Code for murder.