JOIN US'Missing' maid attempts suicide, critical
The case of housemaid missing from police custody and alleged harassment of her family members leading to suspension of two cops, took a new turn with the said maid attempting self-immolation on Sunday.
The maid, Lakshmidevi, 28 who allegedly gave Vidyaranyapura police the slip a month ago, was tracked down to a small village in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday morning. Acting on a tip-off, a team of City police rushed to the village and brought the woman to Bangalore from the house of her uncle, Balapeddanna.
“She was brought to Bangalore at 6:30 pm on Saturday and after a brief investigation, she confessed to having stolen the sarees for which she was arrested in the first instance,” Patil said.
Considering the circumstances of the case, police decided to entrust Lakshmidevi to the custody of her family for the night. However, Devi’s family, including her parents and husband, had left for Ananthapur, compelling police to lodge Devi at the house of Ganganna, a relative of her husband Pullanna.
Police said that they have a video recording and a statement by Ganganna, agreeing to house Devi for the night.
Tense night
According to Ganganna, police dropped her off at his house in Doddabommasandra at about 9:30 pm. He said Devi appeared withdrawn and did not speak a word. “She did not sleep that night and sat numb near the door,” he told Deccan Herald.
“We were afraid that she would run away again. At about 4 am in the morning, we were shocked to see that she was missing. We immediately searched for her and found her several streets away. I brought her home and locked her inside the house, for I feared that the police would hold me responsible if she escaped,” Ganganna said.
Minutes later, Ganganna saw smoke billowing from the room. “I opened the door and saw her engulfed in flames. She had immolated herself,” he said. Ganganna immediately doused the fire and rushed her to Victoria Hospital.
‘Unlikely to live’
Dr Neelamma, the doctor treating Devi, said that she has suffered 73 per cent burns and that the chances of her survival remain slim.
Vidyaranyapura Police have registered a case of attempted suicide. Police claim to have a recording of her, in the presence of doctors at Victoria Hospital, in which she declared that she wanted to end her life because of the dishonour she had brought on her family.
According to a senior police official, her statement will be recorded again by the tahsildar on Monday.