A 25 year old woman from Hyderabad set herself on fire outside the Bowenpally Police Station. The woman alleged that she was being raped and sexually harassed by a neighbor. The shocking incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
The police immediately rushed to douse the fire and took the girl to Gandhi hospital. The police reported the girl sustained 45% burns on her body. The woman lives in Bowenpally with her husband and two children. The police sources have stated that the victim was being harassed by her neighbor Venkatesh.
Venkatesh was allegedly blackmailing the woman to have an affair with him. Bowenpally Inspector Vijay Kumar stated, “At around 12.40 pm, she came carrying a petrol bottle in a bag, and doused herself with it. Our staff were there, but before we could comprehend what she was doing, she immolated herself. We immediately, used table cloths to douse the fire.”
Mr. Kumar further stressed, “Had she approached us before taking this extreme step, we would have resolved the issue.” The police waited for the woman to be treated and then took her statement. In the statement, the victim named Venkatesh for raping and harassing her. This led to the police pressing charges against Venkatesh.
Vijay Kumar confirmed, “Initially, we had filed a case under IPC 309 (punishment for attempt to suicide) against her. However, later we altered the charges. Now, we have filed a case against him under section 354 C of IPC (sexual harassment,) 376 (punishment for rape.)”
The accused Venkatesh is absconding and the police have launched a search operation to nab him.
