An elderly woman suffered severe burn injuries after she was allegedly assaulted and set on fire by her son in Odisha's Bhadrak district, police said on Thursday. The incident took place at Galaganda village within Tihidi police limits.
The accused, identified as Debashish Nayak (45), a known substance abuser, fled the spot after allegedly setting his mother ablaze, police said.
According to preliminary reports, Debashish had asked his mother, Jyotsnarani Nayak (65), for money to buy liquor. When she refused, he allegedly attacked her. After she collapsed, he poured petrol and set her on fire, police said, quoting local residents.
"When neighbours rushed to the spot hearing her screams, the accused escaped before being detained," Tihidi police station in-charge Satyabrata Graharaj said.
The woman was first taken to Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, after her condition worsened, police said.
"Arguments between Debashis and his mother is a regular feature. But we never imagined that he would set his mother on fire for refusing to give money to buy liquor," neighbour Subrata Nayak claimed.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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