A married woman and her sister were set on fire by the paramour of the former on Thursday midnight at Darlipali in Sundargarh. The duo in critical condition has been admitted in the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital, while the accused is at large. The victims were identified as Anamika and her sister Pinky (25). They were sleeping in a room of their house at Darlipali and in another room, Anamika’s mother and Anamika’s three children were asleep, when at around 1.30 am on Friday, accused Jayaram Mahanandia (50), a native of Kulabira village in Jharsuguda district, allegedly entered into Anamika’s room. He poured petrol on Anamika and her sister Pinky and thereafter set fire to them. Hearing the screaming of Anamika and Pinky, their mother and Anamika’s three children rushed to Anamika’s room and they saw Jayaram fleeing. The locals rushed to the spot and informed Bhasma police station. A Bhasma police team reached the spot and rescued the duo with critical burn injuries and sent them to the Sundargarh DHH.
The police after registering a case against Jayaram have started investigating the case. The police are now searching the accused. Notably, Jayaram had been staying with Anamika in a live-in relation after both had developed illicit relation and Anamika’s husband knowing it had deserted her. However, Jayaram and Anamika were not pulling well. Before the incident Anamika had driven Jayaram out of her house over a spat.