Cop accused of murdering woman colleague dies

A police personnel in Kerala, who was accused of murdering a woman police personnel by burning her alive, died on Wednesday.

Civil police officer Ajaz, 33, had suffered over 40 per cent burns while setting woman civil police officer Soumya Pushkaran on fire. He succumbed to the injuries at Alappuzha medical college hospital.

The brutal murder took place at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha on Saturday. Soumya, who was married and mother of three children, rejected Ajaz's repeated plea to marry him. This was said to be the provocation for the murder.

Ajaz had reportedly said in a statement to the magistrate that he wanted to kill himself and hence tried self-immolation after murdering Soumya. Ajaz who drove a car knocked down the two-wheeler Soumya was riding. As she ran away, he chased and hacked her and set her on fire after dousing in petrol. She died on the spot.

Ajaz was working with traffic police at Aluva in Ernakulam district, which Soumya was working at Vallikunnam police station near Mavelikkara.