A 27-year-old woman, Ramitha, who was allegedly set on fire by a man inside her shop in Mannadukka, died at a hospital in Mangaluru on Monday night (April 14).
The accused, Ramavrutham, a native of Tamil Nadu and owner of a nearby furniture shop, is believed to have attacked her in retaliation after being asked to vacate the premises.
The alleged incident took place around 3.15 p.m. on April 8. Ramitha was first taken to the Kanhangad District Hospital and later shifted to a hospital in Mangaluru due to the severity of her burns. Despite efforts to save her, she succumbed to her injuries on Monday night, said police.
After the alleged attack, Ramavrutham reportedly tried to flee by boarding a bus parked nearby.
However, locals and bus staff caught him and handed him over to the Bedakam police.
“Ramitha had earlier complained that Ramavrutham, often under the influence of alcohol, regularly caused disturbances at her shop. Based on her complaint, the building owner had asked the accused to vacate, which reportedly triggered the attack. We believe the assault was an act of revenge,” said a police officer. Her body was taken to Kannur Government Medical College for postmortem after the inquest, and it will be handed over to the family thereafter.
Ramitha’s eight-year-old son and his classmate, who were reportedly present at the time of the incident, escaped with minor injuries. The police said murder charges will now be filed against the accused, who remains in custody.
Published – April 15, 2025 11:34 pm IST