A 35-year-old man died in West Bengal's Malda district after a woman he allegedly raped and set on fire, grabbed him while still ablaze, the police said today.
The woman injured her face and hands in the fire and is under treatment at the Malda Medical College and Hospital.
She claimed that the accused used to disturb her and had entered her house on Monday evening when she was alone. The woman, a widow, said the man raped her and set her on fire after which she took hold of him, according to the police.
Locals rushed to her house after noticing smoke inside her house and found both of them on fire inside a room.
A jar of kerosene was also found in the room, officials said.
The locals took both of them to a local hospital from where they were referred to the Malda Medical College and Hospital. The man died today morning, the police said.
The woman lives with her two daughters in Subhas Colony.
The police said they are trying to find out why the accused had visited Subhas Colony, which is around 35 km from his residence in Chanchal.
Locals claimed that the accused often visited the house of the woman.
District Superintendent of Police Arnab Ghosh said: "We are investigating the case from all angles."
