Thiruvalla: Tragedy struck a family here when a domestic dispute escalated into gruesome violence. A man, who had entered into an argument with his wife, allegedly doused her with petrol and sparked a fire, leading to her death. Their daughter, who tried to save her mother, suffered serious burns. The man later hanged himself from a tree near his house.
While Thekkeveettil Mathukutty (65) and his wife Saramma (59) of Alappatt in Ward 4 of Nedumbrom died following the incident, their daughter Liji (35) is fighting for her life at Government TD Medical College, Vandanam, Alappuzha.
The incident took place around 12.30 am on Sunday and two rooms of the house were totally gutted. Neighbours who reached the house on noticing the fire rushed Saramma and Liji to the Alappuzha Medical College, where Saramma succumbed to her burn injuries. Later, around 3 am, Mathukutty’s body was found hanging from a tree near the house.
Saramma’s death was recorded at 4.30 am on Sunday. Apart from Liji, the dead couple has a son, Maju.
Officials from Pulikeezhu police station registered a case in connection with the incident and fingerprint experts and top officers collected evidence from the scene.
