Kannauj (UP): A man was arrested for allegedly tying his wife to a chair, pouring petrol on her and setting her ablaze over suspicion of an extramarital affair, before fleeing with their children, in Kannauj district on Thursday morning, police said.
Sonam, 30, burnt to death in the incident which occurred in Jagatpur village under the Chhibramau police station area.
The accused, Sukhbir Singh alias Monu, fled the scene with the couple's two children, a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, police said. He was later arrested by the police.
Sonam's remains were recovered from the house after firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Superintendent of Police, Vinod Kumar said the couple had a love marriage in 2015. Sukhbir worked as a labourer in Hisar and had returned home just two days before the incident.
He had been having an argument with his wife since returning home, which led him to take this horrific step, he said, adding that the accused has been arrested and police are interrogating him.
Chhibramau Station House Officer Kapil Dubey said Sukhbir suspected his wife of having an affair with a local youth and had started keeping a watch on her.
The suspicion reportedly intensified after he caught her talking to the youth over the phone. The couple had been engaged in arguments for the past two days, he said.
Sukhbir allegedly tied Sonam to a chair on Thursday morning at around 7 am, poured petrol on her and set her on fire, he added.
Hearing the commotion and seeing flames engulfing the house, villagers rushed to the spot and alerted the police and fire brigade.
Kumar stated that police received information about the incident at 8:45 a.m, following which they arrived at the scene.
Firefighters took around one-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze under control. On entering the house, they found Sonam's skeletal remains.
Dubey and a police team inspected the spot and confirmed the victim's identity.