Raju Vishwkarma (38) had allegedly raped a village girl on April 30 after which her parents lodged a police complaint. He was subsequently arrested and sent to jail, Katni Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Hingankar told reporters.
He was released on bail recently after spending a month in jail and last night the girl called him to her residence for a compromise, when her brother poured kerosene over Vishwakarma and set him ablaze, the police said.
In his dying statement, Vishwakarma alleged that her family members demanded Rs 2 lakh from him and when he expressed his inability to do so they set him ablaze, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Makrand Deoskar said.
A case has been registered and further investigations are on, the police said.
