Woman sets partner on fire under guise of proposal, arrested: Cops

A27-year-old adult female has been accused of cleanup her workfellow and partner in Bengaluru by allegedly ligature him to a chairman, blindfolding and setting him on fire inside her home on Tuesday, police said, adding that the incident was a premeditated act carried out under the guise of a proposal.According to police, the incident took place on Tuesday morning within the Byadarahalli police limits. The victim, Kiran (27), had been in a relationship with the accused, Prerana, for nearly a year. Both were employed at a telecom company.According to police, the woman asked Kiran to come to her residence in Anjanapura around 10 am, when her family members were not present. Investigators say the two spent some time talking before the situation escalated.Police said that Prerana allegedly blindfolded Kiran and tied his hands and legs to a chair. When he questioned her actions, she reassured him. “When he questioned why she was tying him so tightly, she told him, ‘This is a foreign-style proposal, just stay quiet,’” Deputy commissioner of police DL Nagesh said, citing details from the preliminary investigation.Believing it to be part of a surprise, Kiran did not resist, officers said. Police allege that the woman then poured petrol on him and set him on fire. Unable to free himself due to the restraints, he died at the scene.Investigators said the accused recorded the incident on her mobile phone. “Even as the victim was burning, she continued recording the video. This aspect shows the brutality of the crime,” the officer said.In the immediate aftermath, the woman is said to have attempted to mislead investigators. According to police, she initially claimed that she was in the toilet when she heard a noise and later found Kiran on fire. “I was in the toilet when I heard a noise. When I came out, Kiran had set himself on fire,” she reportedly told officers.However, this account was contradicted during the investigation. Police said CCTV footage and other preliminary findings did not support her version. They also noted that Kiran had not brought any inflammable material with him. “There is strong suspicion that the petrol was arranged in advance by the accused. This points towards premeditation,” an officer involved in the investigation said.Police believe the act may have been triggered by tensions in the relationship. According to investigators, the woman was upset that Kiran had been ignoring her and had refused to marry her.“The accused woman has been taken into custody and questioned. It has been established that she set her lover on fire. The act appears to have been driven by anger over being neglected in the relationship,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police said.A case of murder has been registered, and police said further investigation is underway to establish the full sequence of events and confirm the motive.