A 19-year-old woman succumbed to her burn injuries at a hospital in Ranchi on Friday after being set ablaze by a married man pursuing her.

According to police sources, Rajesh Raut, 23, who has been arrested, had forcibly entered the woman’s room by breaking open the door’s latch and set her on fire by pouring petrol on Thursday night.

Police sources said the incident took place at Bharatpur village in Bhalki panchayat under Jarmundi police station in Dumka.

The woman was rushed to Dumka government hospital with nearly 90 per cent burns. From there, she was referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) where she died during the course of the treatment on Friday afternoon.

This is the second such incident in Dumka in one-and-a-half months. On August 23, a man named Shahrukh had burnt a 16-year-old girl for turning him down. The woman had also died during treatment at RIMS.

Jarmundi sub-divisional police officer Shivendra Thakur said Raut, the accused, was insisting on marrying the woman despite getting married in February this year. He said Raut and the victim had known each other since 2019.

“We had recorded the statement of the victim in which she claimed that she knew Rajesh Raut since 2019 and that her parents were against their marriage. Raut eventually got married in February, but kept on insisting on marrying her too. A few days ago, he even threatened her that he would set her on fire if she did not agree to her proposal,” Thakur said.

“The girl had in her statement also said that Raut entered her room by breaking open the door latch and set her on fire after pouring petrol. When she got up, she saw Raut running out of the house. The victim had said that she was staying with her maternal grandparents since childhood in Jarmundi. Her parents stay at Bhairavpur village under Jama police station in the same district while the accused is a resident of Maheshpur village of Ramgarh police station area,” the officer added.

The Dumka district administration had provided the victim’s family Rs 1 lakh as immediate financial help for treatment.

Dumka superintendent of police Amber Lakra said a team of doctors would conduct the autopsy of the victim in the presence of a magistrate.

“The woman’s statement was recorded before a magistrate before her death, which will be her dying declaration. A separate FIR is also there. The accused has been arrested,” Lakra said.