Chennai driver allegedly set wife on fire in car after an argument
Highlights
- Chennai driver allegedly set wife on fire in car after argument
- His children were in the car; he jumped out after setting wife on fire
- Woman saved children by breaking windows, threw them out: police
On Sunday morning, a family of four in Chennai was driving to a relative's house when an argument rapidly turned nasty. Jayapaul, a 30-year-old cab driver, pulled out a bottle of petrol and allegedly poured it on his wife Prema. He set her on fire and jumped out of the car, according to the police.
Their young sons, four and two, were in the backseat.
In flames, 29-year-old Prema broke the windows of the car and threw her children out. They only suffered minor injuries.
The police say Jayapaul and Prema, who had been married earlier, frequently argued over money to run the household.
After setting his wife on fire, Jayapaul allegedly tried to pass it off as a suicide attempt.
He called an ambulance and took his wife and the children to a government hospital.
Prema died the same evening, but not before naming her husband in her dying statement. He has been arrested.
Tamil Nadu has witnessed a rise in crimes against women in recent months. Last month, a techie was hacked to death at a railway station by a stalker. Earlier this year, a man killed his wife and three step-daughters in the city. Another man set a young woman on fire in Villupuram district as she did not reciprocate his feelings.