Dalit woman dies after house set on fire: Cops

THE KEY ACCUSED IN THE CASE, WHO HAS BEEN HELD, HAD ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO MOLEST A WOMAN FROM VICTIM’S FAMILY

A 29-year-old Dalit woman died and her five-yearold daughter suffered burn injuries after their house in Arwal district of Bihar was set ablaze late on Monday night, police said, adding that the key accused in the case, who had allegedly tried to molest a woman from the victim’s family, has been arrested.

According to police, four members of the family were inside the house in Chakia village when it was set on fire.

While the woman died due of burn injuries on Tuesday, her five-year-old daughter is undergoing treatment in Patna, said an officer familiar with the matter.

According to Arwal Superintendent of Police, Himanshu Shankar Trivedi, the accused who is in custody, Nand Kumar Mahto (32), had allegedly tried to molest the deceased woman’s sister-in-law on Sunday.

On Monday night, the sisterin-law, who was sleeping in the same house, woke up because of the sound of crackling bamboo and found that the house had been set on fire, said the SP.

“Preliminary probe suggests the sister-in-law was the target but she survived,” said the SP.

Inspector general (IG) of police (Magadh range), M R Nayak, said Mahto has been arrested and that a case had also been lodged against two others named by the sister-in-law.