Wanting to kill daughter, man sets house on fire

A man set fire to a house in Nandini Layout in the early hours of Friday in an attempt to kill his 21-year-old daughter.

The woman, Amala S, moved to her relative's house unable to bear her father Shankar’s torture.

The Nandini Layout police arrested 45-year-old Shankar, owner of a barbershop in Sunkadakatte on Magadi Road, following Amala's complaint. He was booked under attempt to murder and mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy the house, among other sections of the law.

A senior police official said the victim was living with Shankar and her 16-year-old brother in Yelahanka, but he began physically assaulting her after her mother’s death. Unable to bear her father’s harassment, Amala moved to her uncle’s house a week ago with her brother. Ten other people were also living in the house.

Enraged by Amala’s decision to live with her uncle in Laggere, Shankar came to the house at 1.15 am on January 3. He siphoned petrol from his bike, doused the door and other places with the fuel, locked it from outside and set it on fire.

Noticing the fire, people inside the house began screaming for help and were rescued by neighbours. A few sustained injuries, while the fire destroyed the clothes and other household possessions. When they got out of the house, they noticed Shankar’s bike and suspected that he must have fled the site in a hurry.

Tension gripped the area in the night when the neighbours found the house on fire and poured water to douse the flames.

In her statement before the police, Amala said her mother Varalakshmi passed away 11 years ago and Shankar married Bhaghyamma, who also left him. Shankar then began beating her up.