In a case of honour killing, a couple on Friday set their 23-year-old daughter on fire as she married to a boy against their wish.
Radha Gobinda Mallick and his wife Santilata were taken into custody by Bhubaneswar police in the afternoon when they are trying to flee the city by bus after committing the crime. According to the police, the victim Umabharati, a resident of Balianta near here, married to one Nigamananda of Khantapada in Balasore district three months ago.
After their marriage, Umabharati and Nigamananda were living in rented house near the former’s house at Balianta.
On Friday afternoon, Radha Gobinda and Santilata came to their daughter’s house, met her husband and told him that they had forgiven him and accepted him as their son-in-law.
After a few minutes of chatting, the couple asked Nigamananda to allow Umabharati to go with them to their home for some days to which he agreed. Radha Gobinda then sent him to arrange an autorickshaw on hire.
As soon as Nigamananda went out to hire autorickshaw — the couple gagged their daughter with a towel, poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze.
After hearing the girl’s screaming, the neighbours rushed to the spot and found her burning. She breathed her last on the spot before the villagers could douse the fire. “We have arrested the couple,” DCP Nitinjeet Singh said.