Chennai driver allegedly set Wife on Fire inside car after Argument

Mangalore Today News Network

Chennai, Aug 09, 2016: On Sunday morning, a family of four was driving in Chennai when an argument rapidly turned nasty. Jayapaul, a 30-year-old driver, pulled out a bottle of petrol and poured it on his wife Prema. He set her on fire and jumped out of the car.

Their young sons watched in alarm from the backseat.

In flames, 29-year-old Prema managed to save the children by breaking the windows of the car and throwing them out.

The police say Jayapaul and Prema 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 nearby government hospital.

Prema died in hospital on Sunday evening, but not before naming her husband in her dying statement.

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. Not long ago a man had 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.