18-year-old girl burnt by stalkers
18-year-old girl burnt by stalkers
A college girl sustained severe burns after stalkers allegedly set her on fire in her sleep at Chandipur village of Dinajpur's Hakimpur upazila in the early hours of Friday.
She was rushed to Joypurhat Modern Hospital in a critical state and is currently undergoing treatment there.
The victim has been identified as Jolly Akter, 18, daughter of Jahir Uddin of Chirla village under Sadar upazila of Joypurhat district.
Jolly is an undergraduate student of Mongalbari Degree College of Joypurhat.
According to the victim's family members, Abu Sayem, already a married man, of the same village used to stalk Jolly on her way to and from the college. Around a month ago, Sayem proposed Jolly who rejected it outright.
Abu then threatened to kidnap Jolly prompting her parents to send their daughter to her grandmother's house at Chandipur, 20 kilometres away from Chirla.
Sayem, however, did not stop. Often would he go to Chandipur and stalk Jolly, according to the villagers.
Around 2:30am on Friday, Sayem, along with an accomplice, ripped open a whole in the tin roof of the room in which she and her grandmother was sleeping, and poured petrol on her.
Though she woke up at the feel of the liquid, it was too late. The culprits fired a matchstick on her setting the teenager ablaze, and ran away, described Sahera Khatun, the grandmother, who too had suffered minor burns.
"Some villagers recognised Sayem while he was fleeing the spot," she added.
Hearing their screams, the neighbours broke into the room and rushed her to Joypurhat Modern Hospital.
Doctors of the hospital said Jolly had suffered 20 percent burns, including on her face and hands.
Abdur Rashid, officer-in-charge of Joypurhat Sadar Police Station, told The Daily Star that they would start a hunt for the culprits once a case was filed.
No case, however, was filed yet as the family members of the victim were busy at the hospital, taking care of Jolly.