Sant Kabir Nagar (Uttar Pradesh): A man has been arrested for setting ablaze a woman, Surati Devi, 65, and her 12-year-old granddaughter under Khalilabad police station limits in Sant Kabir Nagar district.
The incident took place on Friday and both the victims succumbed to burn injuries at a Gorakhpur hospital.
The accused suspected that his wife had eloped with Surati Devi's son, the police said.
The police also said they arrested the accused Ravindra Gupta who, along with his wife Maya's brother Bindeshwari and his nephew Vicky, poured five litres of petrol on Surati Devi and her granddaughter when they were sleeping in an open veranda outside their home.
Ravindra and Bindeshwari suspected that Maya, who was missing along with her five-year-old son since August 11, had eloped with Surati Dev's son Prithvi.
In a video statement, Sant Kabir Nagar additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Santosh Kumar Singh-I informed the media that Maya's parents and other family members lived in the Kolhualakda village under the Khalilabad police station limits and Surati Devi and her granddaughter also resided in the same village.
The ASP said Ravindra and Bindeshwari hatched the conspiracy over a WhatsApp call.
He said Bindheshwari, along with his nephew Vicky, reached Sant Kabir Nagar and stayed in a hotel instead of going to his village while Ravindra arrived there on a motorcycle from Barabanki.
He said they got the motorcycle fuelled at a petrol pump nearby and later took out the petrol in a jerry can. Thereafter, they reached Surati's house and set her and her granddaughter ablaze.
He said efforts were on to track down Bindeshwari and Vicky.
The ASP said the arrested accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 304 for culpable homicide, 436 for causing mischief using explosive or inflammable material and 506 for criminal intimidation.
—IANS
