Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), March 2 A woman and her two children were burnt alive when their tenant set them on fire in their house.
The three were rushed to the hospital where the children died during treatment and their mother succumbed to burn injuries late on Monday evening at the Ursala Horseman hospital in Kanpur.
The accused, Avaneesh Prajapati, 25, who is husband of a woman constable Usha, also sustained serious head injuries after being hit by a truck while fleeing after committing the crime.
According to reports, the incident took place when Avaneesh allegedly poured petrol on Archana, 29, wife of corporator Jitendra Yadav, her five-year-old daughter Akshita and 15-month-old son Hanu and set them on fire.
Police said the incident took place when Archana was in the kitchen. Her two children were also sitting with her while Jitendra was in another part of the house.
Suddenly, Avaneesh arrived at the spot, doused Archana and the two children with petrol and set them afire.
After hearing screams, Jitendra and his neighbours rushed to rescue the three and informed the police.
Avaneesh, who was being chased by the locals, was hit by a speeding vehicle on the highway and sustained serious head injuries. He has been admitted to a hospital in Kanpur.
Superintendent of Police Kanpur Dehat, Keshav Kumar Choudhary said, "It has come to light that Avaneesh has been under depression. We are trying to find out as to what actually prompted him to commit the crime."
( With inputs from IANS )
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