Kerala Woman Dies After Drunk Shopkeeper Sets Her On Fire In 'Act of Revenge'

Kerala: A 32-year-old woman, C. Ramitha, died after a drunk shopkeeper allegedly set her on fire in an 'act of revenge' in Kerala's Kasaragod district, around 386 km away from Kochi. The incident occurred around 3:30 pm on April 8. Days earlier, Ramitha had reportedly complained to the building owner about the accused, Ramamritham, for creating disturbances under the influence of alcohol, an NDTV report said.

Both Ramitha and Ramamritham owned shops in the same building in Bedaduka village.

While Ramitha ran a grocery store, Ramamritham operated a furniture shop right next to hers. Following Ramitha’s complaint, the building owner reportedly asked Ramamritham to vacate his shop, officials said. Enraged by this, Ramamritham allegedly poured a bottle of thinner on Ramitha while she was inside her grocery store on April 8 and set her on fire.

At the time of the incident, Ramitha’s neighbour, Sajitha Purushotham, was nearby. He, along with other locals, rushed her to the Kanhangad district hospital. She was later shifted to a medical facility in Mangaluru for further treatment.

Reportedly, she suffered 50 per cent burns. While the victim died while undergoing treatment.

In another incident, two tribal people who had gone to collect forest produce were found killed, allegedly in a wild elephant attack, in the Athirappilly forests of this district, police said on Tuesday.

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