New Delhi, June 16: A teenaged girl was found dead inside her house in JJ Colony in Jehangirpuri on Monday morning while her mother was found lying
outside severely injured. The incident happened around 9am.
According to police, while the child’s body was found in her bedroom, her mother had allegedly set herself afire and jumped from the first floor. According to DCP (northwest) N S Bundela, the woman had suffered severe burn injuries and battled for life for over 10 hours before she was declared dead.
Sources said that Chinnu (14) was found dead on her bed by her 7-year-old brother. He had rushed to her room seeking help after he found that their mother, Sharda (40), had set herself on fire and jumped from the first floor of the house.
“I heard a loud thump and rushed out. I saw my mother in flames, lying on the ground. I went to my sister for help, but she too was lying cold with a dupatta around her neck,” said the shocked 7-year-old. The woman’s husband was not at home when the incident took place.
Sharda, who suffered 70% burn injuries, was rushed to TB Hospital in Kingsway Camp. After her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to LN Hospital, where she died later, said a senior police official.
The police are trying to ascertain the reason behind the incident. “In all probability, the mother strangulated Chinnu before setting herself on fire. However, we have registered only a general case and will reach a conclusion once the investigation is over,” said an investigating officer at the Jehangirpuri police station. DCP Bundela said the case will become clearer once the police receive Chinnu’s postmortem report from the BJRM Hospital.
Sources claimed that the eldest of the three siblings, a 17-year-old boy, had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. “The doctors gave him little time and this upset the mother,” said the source.
—Agencies–