Jawan from Sikkim burns wife, kid to death at Jodhpur residence, held

Jodhpur: Police have arrested an army soldier, a native of Sikkim, on charges of burning to death his 25-year-old wife and 2-year-old daughter at his residential quarters in Jodhpur’s cantonment area. DCP (East) Amrita Duhan said that the account of the incident given by army soldier Naik Ram Prasad seemed suspicious and his army unit also lodged a report against him, on the basis of which a murder case was registered against him under Section 302 of IPC at Ratanada police station.Duhan said that police reached the spot early Sunday morning and found the charred bodies of the mother and child on bed. Naik Ram Prasad claimed that the fire had been triggered by a short circuit and he tried to save them but could not, whereupon he ran out of the house for help. He had some burn marks on his hands as well. The victims were identified as Rukmeena and her daughter Riddhima. Ram Prasad and Rukmeena were married three years ago. Rukmeena was a native of Nepal while Ram Prasad is a native of Sikkim. He had been posted to Jodhpur about two years ago.“On Sunday morning at 5am we received information that two persons had been burnt to death in an army quarter. We rushed to the spot and found bodies of a woman and her daughter in completely charred condition,” said Duhan.“Until the postmortem is conducted, we are not in position to arrive at any conclusion,” said Duhan, adding that police have called the forensics team to collect evidence. The family of the woman has been informed and postmortem would be conducted after they arrive, the DCP said.