A man burnt his wife and father and mother-in-law and in the process killed himself at Jagatsinghpur on Sunday night.
The incident took place at Banapat village when Harekrushna Mallick, who had married Rubina, reached the parental house of his wife. At around 1 am he poured petrol on his wife Rubina, her father Nabaghan Sahu, and mother Kalama Sahu when all of them were asleep.
Mallick torched the room and tried to flee but Nabaghan caught hold of him and in the tussle, both were burnt to death by the fire that had engulfed the house.
The neighbours, who had rushed on hearing the screams of the victims, said before her death Rubina had accused her husband and stated how he had poured petrol on all of them.
Rubina had married Mallick six months ago. However, she complained of torture by her in-laws and returned to her parents.
Her husband, Harekrushna Mallick reached his in-laws’ house and asked Rubina to return but the family refused to send her back resulting in a quarrel. Angered by the refusal, Mallick committed the crime. He doused his wife and mother-in-law who were sleeping in one room with petrol and torched them while bolting the room from outside.
As he was fleeing, his father-in-law Nabaghan woke up to the screams and caught Mallick. The two were also caught in the flames which had spread all over the house.
Fire tenders called by the neighbours reached the spot and retrieved the four. Of them, Rubina was conscious and while being shifted to the hospital she disclosed that her husband had put them on fire.
She died on way to the hospital.
Nabaghan’s only son is working in Bangalore. He has two other daughters who are married. The eldest daughter Manasi Sahu has lodged a police complaint about the murder of her parents and sister.
The police said a case has been registered and investigations are on. The cause of the fire is to be established by a forensic team, said the police.