Chennai woman 'Possessed' by spirit set herself ablaze in temple and passes away

In a shocking piece of news, a woman who was claimed to be possessed by spirit set herself ablaze in a temple where she was staying for exorcism in Chengalpattu on Monday.

Relatives of the deceased named Thangam from Teynampet, Chennai took her to a Badhrakaali Amman temple in Madhurandhagam, Chengalpattu after claiming that she was possessed. The exorcist Murugammal advised the woman to stay in the temple for 21 days as part of the exorcism. The woman along with her relatives heeded the advice and stayed in the temple. At around 2am on Monday, Thangam set herself ablaze and charred to death.

In the ongoing inquiry, it was found that the deceased woman was mentally unstable and had tried to die by suicide in the past.

The woman's relative, said that the family arrived on Sunday and received blessings before the incident. "The woman was staying with her mother and mother-in-law. After they settled for the night, the woman set herself ablaze with the kerosene from the kitchen", she said.