Hunt on for man who set wife ablaze

Sathyamoorthy (28) of Boothakulam near Tirupattur got married to Divya (24) three years ago and they had a son. On Saturday, he took her to his driving school on the pretext of going to a temple and gave her a sedative. When Divya asked about the tablet, Sathyamoorthy said it was to cure her persistent pain.

After she fainted, he took her to an isolated farmhouse, doused her in petrol and set her alight and fled the scene with their two-year-old son. Hearing her screams, local residents came to Divya’s rescue. They rushed her to Tirupattur government hospital, from where she was shifted to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. But she died without responding to treatment on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sathyamoorthy messaged a relative stating that both his kidneys had failed, so he planned to die by suicide with his son after killing Divya. However, Kandli police who have registered a case said their investigations revealed that he had affairs with many women. They have now intensified the hunt to nab the man.