Kolkata: Residents of a Belgharia locality were in shock after they saw a homemaker in her early 30s engulfed in flames, screaming for help and running for cover on Friday evening. She was allegedly set afire by her husband and his friends on her way to a market. She is fighting for life at a local hospital. Cops are looking for the accused.
They suspect that a family dispute could have led to the attack.
According to police, the incident took place at Belgharia's Arjyanagar at ward 23 under Kamarhati Municipality around 6.45 pm on Friday when the homemaker, Sangeeta Sarkar of Titagarh's Bibeknagar, was heading towards a market near Belgharia Rathtala More. Before marriage, she used to stay in the Amherst Street area of Kolkata.
"After preliminary investigation, we suspect that her husband and his two friends were following her before they attempted to burn her alive. We are yet to ascertain the exact cause," said a senior police officer of Barrackpore Commissionerate.
Mita Chatterjee, a local resident, said: "On hearing her cry, I rushed out of my home to find the woman engulfed in flames running along the street. Some local youths rescued her." They rushed her to a nursing home. Later, she was shifted to College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital.