Man 'sets wife afire over dowry'

A man is suspected to have set his 20-year-old pregnant wife on fire following an ugly marital discord at their house in Agara under Talghattapura police station limits on Tuesday night. The woman later died of burns at the Victoria Hospital.

Police said Prasanna, who hails from Mandya, doused his wife Arpita in kerosene and set her ablaze after the couple fought over a domestic issue.

Hearing the victim’s screams, neighbours rushed into the house and managed to put out the fire with blankets and gunny sacks.

They later took her to the Victoria Hospital but she succumbed to her injuries.

According to a police officer, Arpita gave a dying statement at the Victoria Hospital, saying her husband had been constantly pestering her for dowry.

He had demanded money to lease a house but she refused, saying her parents had given him enough money at the time of wedding, the officer quoted Arpita as having told the investigators.

Arpita wanted Prasanna to take her to hospital for a check-up as she was pregnant but he never cared, the officer added.

She would often fight with him over the matter.

The fight erupted on Tuesday night and Prasanna set her ablaze, the officer said.

Neighbours confirmed to the police that the couple would fight often.

They had fought just before the alleged murder.

The couple worked as labourers and had rented a small house in Agara just a month ago.

Police said they looked for Prasanna in the house but he had absconded. A case has been registered at Talghattapura police station.

Vehicle dealer stabbed

A second-hand vehicle dealer was stabbed by his friend over a trivial issue in Magadi Main Road on Tuesday night, police said.

The victim, Manjunath, 47, recently celebrated Kannada Rajyotsava with his friend Chennakeshava, 47, a self-styled social worker, in Shivanahalli.

But differences cropped up between the two over some financial issues later on.

The duo met on Tuesday night to resolve the issue but could not reconcile.

A verbal ensued and in the melee, Chennakeshava and his friends Sagar and Manju stabbed Manjunath and ran away, police added.

Manjunath is now out of danger.

Six held  for murder

Six persons were recently arrested by the Kunigal police (Tumkur district) for the kidnap and murder of a youth from the city.

Five of them (Hanumegowda, 25, his mother Premamma, 50, Madan Kumar, Sunil and Rajesh, aged around 23-25 years) are contract killers hailing from Kunigal.

The sixth arrested - Sadananda, a contractor and a resident of Moodalapalya in the City - had given the contract to kill his adopted son L Harish, a 24-year-old businessman.

Following differences between him and Harish’s father Lingappa, Sadananda decided to eliminate Harish.

House burgled

Thieves broke into a house on Jain Temple Road near Bharathinagar and made off with valuables and cash.

The house owner, Mohammed Nizamuddin, and family had left for Kashmir on April 24. Upon their return home on Wednesday, they found the lock of the door broken and gold and silver articles as well as Rs 80,000 in cash kept in the cupboard missing.