Woman set afire by in-laws dies, husband among three held

A young woman set afire by her husband and in-laws over dowry died here on Saturday and three persons have been arrested in the case, police said.

Parvinder Kaur, 24, admitted in the Safdarjung Hospital here on Friday with burn injuries, said in her police statement before her death that she was set afire by her husband and in-laws, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar said.

Kumar identified those arrested on Saturday as Parvinder's husband Gurcharan Singh, 27, father-in-law Rawel Singh, 62, and brother-in-law Prabhjot Singh, 25.

In response to a call on Friday, police personnel reached the family's house in Vikas Puri in west Delhi and came across the smell of kerosene on the premises along with burnt clothes, matchbox, and the woman's sandals.

"The woman's statement was recorded at the Safdarjung Hospital, wherein she alleged that she had gone to her marital home to collect her son's clothes around 9.30 p.m. (on Friday), where she was set afire by her husband and in-laws," Kumar said.

He said hospital authorities on Saturday informed police that Kaur had died.

The woman's father Satpal Singh told IANS that she was thrown out of her marital home over dowry demands.

"She was living with us since August 4. On Friday, she had gone to collect her son's clothes from the house when they set her on fire," Satpal Singh said.

Her brother Amandeep Singh said she had been married for almost five years and had a four-year-old son and there were constant fights over dowry.

"Of late, we said we won't pay the dowry. That led them to kill her," he added.

--IANS

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