Angry with estranged wife, man douses family on fire; son battling for life in Erode
Police said Tirumalaiselvan, 35, from Melur in Madurai, attempted to set fire to his entire family: wife Suganya, their seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.
Representative image
CHENNAI: A four-year-old boy is battling for life after being set on fire by his drunkard father in Erode on Sunday night.
Police said Tirumalaiselvan, 35, from Melur in Madurai, attempted to set fire to his entire family: wife Suganya, their seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son. However, Suganya and her daughter managed to escape in the nick of time, while the boy got trapped in the fire.
The incident happened at the house of Suganya’s mother on Muniappan Kovil Street in Erode's Manickampalayam.
Police said Tirumalaiselvan used to frequently quarrel with his wife under the influence of alcohol while suspecting her fidelity. Unable to bear his torture, Suganya left Madurai to her mother’s house in Erode along with her two children, a month ago. Two weeks ago, Tirumalaiselvan took the two children back with him to Madurai.
He came to Erode again on Sunday night along with the children and insisted Suganya also return to their home. As she stoutly refused to go with him, Tirumalaiselvan took out a can of petrol kept hidden and splashed it on his wife and children, before setting them ablaze by lighting a matchstick.
Acting swiftly, Suganya and her daughter moved away from the flames while their four-year-old son got trapped in the fire. Family members managed to douse the raging fire and rushed the boy to the Erode Government Hospital where he is presently under treatment.
Based on a complaint, the Veerappanchatram police registered a case and arrested Tirumalaiselvan and further inquiries are on.