Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A horrifying incident was reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior on Saturday, where a 90-year-old woman was burnt alive inside her room.
The incident took place late Friday night in the Indra Nagar area under Hazira police station limits in Gwalior. The charred, skeletal remains of the elderly woman were later recovered from the spot.
The deceased was identified as Beni Bai, wife of Shyam Singh. She was sleeping in her room when a fire suddenly broke out.
Around 1 am, family members noticed flames coming from the room. Her son raised an alarm, and neighbours rushed to help. The family tried to put out the fire and informed the police.
By the time the door was broken open and the fire was brought under control, the woman had already been completely burnt.
Heater found near body
Police said a room heater was found near the woman’s bed. The heater’s wire and plug were badly burnt. Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire may have started from the heater, as the woman’s quilt was also found burnt.
Police are questioning family members to understand how the incident occurred.
When police reached the spot, they sought help from locals to lift the body, but due to the severely burnt condition, no one came forward.
Finally, police officers, patrolling staff and the woman’s son together sent the body for post-mortem.
The woman lived with her younger son Dalchand, his wife Kasturi, and grandson Kabir. Her elder son has reportedly taken sanyas (renounced worldly life).
Dalchand told police that when they saw flames coming out of the room, they rushed to save their mother.
However, the door was locked from inside and had become extremely hot due to the fire. Police were informed, and after the door was broken open, the woman was found dead.
Sub-Inspector Harendra Singh Bhadoria said a case has been registered and an investigation is underway. The exact cause of the fire will be confirmed after the probe. It was found that the elderly woman used to sleep near a heater every night to protect herself from the cold.
