Lucknow, Mar 19
Hours after a woman “died by suicide” in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, her family members allegedly torched her husband’s house, killing his parents. The elderly couple who died in the fire were identified as Rajendra Kesarwani, 63, and his wife Shobha Devi, 60, whose bodies were recovered from the second floor of the house in the Mutthiganj area on Monday night.
The police booked a murder case against 10 people, including the family members of the elderly couple’s daughter-in-law, Anshika Kesarwani, 21, who was found dead in a suspected suicide in the house earlier in the evening.
They also booked Anshika’s husband Anshu Kesarwani and four others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 304-B (dowry death). However, the police have yet to make any arrests.
The police said Anshika had been married to Anshu for over a year. On getting to know about her death around 10.30 pm, Anshika’s family rushed to Anshu’s house and a heated argument took place between both families. Anshika’s family members brought her body outside the house and protested.
The police soon reached the spot and witnessed a fire that broke out on the ground floor of Anshu’s house. The police said Anshu’s family was into wooden furniture businesses, and a wood storage area on the ground floor caught fire first and the blaze quickly flared to other floors of the building.
Upon receiving information, a fire tender rushed to the spot and the police rescued five members of the family. After the fire was brought under control late at night, the police and fire personnel searched the building and discovered the bodies of the elderly couple. Anshu’s relatives accused the family members of Anshika of setting the house on fire.
“It will be part of the investigation to determine how the fire originated. We are collecting CCTV footage from cameras installed at nearby houses,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police (Prayagraj) Pushkar Verma.
