Woman police personnel set on fire in Kerala, dies

In a gruesome incident, a woman police personnel in Kerala was charred to death after being set ablaze by a police personnel at Vallikunnam at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district in south Kerala on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Soumya Pushkaran, aged around 32, who was working as a civil police officer at Vallikkunam police station at Mavelikkara. A mother of three, Soumya's husband Sajeev is working abroad.

Alappuzha district police chief K M Tomy said that the accused was Ajaz, 33, a civil police officer working with traffic police unit at Aluva in Ernakulam district. The provocation for the crime could not be confirmed yet.

According to local sources, the incident took place by around 3.30 p.m. After returning home from work, Soumya again went out of her house in her two-wheeler. The accused came in a car and knocked down Soumya's two-wheeler. As she ran away, the accused chased her and hacked her using a machete. Once she fell down, the accused doused her in petrol and set her ablaze.

Local people who rushed to the spot of hearing Soumya screaming could not save her as she was fully charred by that time.

While trying to flee from the spot, the accused also suffered burns and hence he could not escape. A police party that rushed to the spot took into custody Ajaz, who was detained by local people.

The district police chief said that Ajaz was hospitalised with about 40 percent burns. Hence his statement could not be recorded yet. Ajaz and Soumya were said to have worked together earlier. A probe is on to find the provocation, he said.

A police official of Vallikunnam police station said that they had no information about any personal issues faced by Soumya. "She was very active in her work and was also a trainer at the Student Police Cadet training programmes. We are shell shocked over the incident," said the official.