Marriage rejection triggers brutal attack, woman set ablaze

 

By Sumesh Rajan | December 25, 2025

Bengaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: In a shocking act of violence, a 45-year-old woman was allegedly set on fire by a man after she refused to marry her 19-year-old daughter to him. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at Saneguruvanahalli in Basaveshwaranagar, under the limits of the Basaveshwaranagar police station.

The victim, Geetha, sustained nearly 50 per cent burn injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Victoria Hospital, where her condition is said to be critical.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Muthu Abhimanyu (28), ran a tea stall near Geetha’s provision store and was also a tenant in a portion of the house where the victim lived with her daughter. Over the past several months, the accused had allegedly developed closeness with Geetha’s daughter, a second-year BBA student, and repeatedly pressured the family to agree to the marriage.

Both Geetha and her daughter reportedly rejected the proposal, citing the girl’s age and opposing the alliance. Enraged by the refusal, the accused allegedly barged into Geetha’s house around 1–2 am, poured petrol on her, and set her ablaze before fleeing the scene.

Hearing her mother’s screams, the daughter rushed to the spot, while neighbours alerted the authorities and shifted Geetha to the hospital. Police said the accused used petrol he had stored in a bottle and escaped immediately after the attack.

Geetha, a single mother after the death of her husband Vijay Kumar, a civil contractor, managed her household by running a small grocery shop in the locality.

The Basaveshwaranagar police have registered a case of attempt to murder and formed special teams to trace and arrest the accused, who remains absconding. Further investigation is underway.