In a shocking incident in North West Delhi, a man died after allegedly setting himself on fire outside his wife’s residence in the Jahangirpuri police station area late Monday night, police said on Tuesday.
According to Delhi Police, an inquiry has been initiated into the matter, and the deceased man’s wife and mother-in-law have been taken into custody for questioning to determine the exact sequence of events.
Police said a PCR call regarding a fire incident was received on May 18 at Mahendra Park Police Station from a residence in Jahangirpuri.
Police personnel, along with the SHO, rushed to the spot and found the man, identified as Deepansh Chaudhary, in a severely burnt condition. He was immediately shifted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
According to the police, preliminary inquiry revealed that the deceased and his wife had ongoing matrimonial disputes, and a complaint had earlier been filed at the Crime Against Women (CAW) Cell. On the day of the incident, following an altercation, Deepansh allegedly threatened to commit suicide and later set himself on fire outside his wife’s residence, a police statement said.
Meanwhile, the owner of the house where the incident took place recounted the events of the night.
"Last night at 8:30 PM, when news of a fire broke out, my husband, my mother-in-law, and I were inside the house; we initially assumed the fire had started somewhere outside or that a short circuit had occurred. Subsequently, people gathered at our doorstep and informed us that the fire was actually inside our own home," Paramjeet, the owner of the house, said.
"As soon as we stepped outside to investigate, we saw a young man descending while engulfed in flames. He then fell down the staircase, landed at the bottom, and lay there; he was completely naked, and his entire body was severely burnt. After lying there for about 10 minutes or so he gave a statement. We called the SHO because, at that moment, we were unable to get through to the emergency helpline (112)... We also called for an ambulance... An officer arrived from the police station and recorded the young man's statement on his phone; in it, the victim alleged that his wife and mother-in-law had set him on fire, and that they had also enlisted the help of two to three other individuals," the Jahangirpuri house owner said.
"He also made certain allegations regarding an affair--claiming that his wife was involved with two to three other men... When we informed his family about the incident, his wife refused to come downstairs, stating that he should simply be left to burn... No one from his family came forward. The police arrived later; they took his statement and transported him away in the ambulance. Later, we learned that he had passed away," Paramjeet added.
Police said further investigation into the case is underway.
