Man sets neighbour's house on fire, 10-yr-old boy killed, 5 injured

A 10-year-old was burnt to death and five of his family members sustained serious burns today after a neighbour allegedly set their house on fire in Tanda here, police said.

The deceased was identified as Harmanpreet.

The accused, Joginder Singh, allegedly sprinkled petrol and set fire to a room usually occupied by Harmanpreet's father, Kuldip Singh, the police said.

However, Kuldip was not at home at the time of the incident and his family was sleeping in the room, they said.

After setting Kuldip's house on fire, Joginder also attempted suicide by consuming a poisonous substance, the police added.

The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital and subsequently referred to DMC Hospital, Ludhiana. They are in a critical condition.

Joginder is undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital and remains critical.

The accused's wife committed suicide last year. Police suspect that Joginder believed that Kuldip may have said something to his wife that prompted her to take the extreme step.