Woman, lover tie husband to bed, set him on fire, both arrested

Lucknow: A woman and her lover were arrested in Siddharthnagar district for allegedly tying her husband to a bed and setting him on fire after a domestic confrontation over their affair, police said.

The incident took place in Rehra village under the limits of Dumariyaganj Police and left the victim, identified as Lalji Gautam (28), critically injured with severe 40% burn injuries.

Police identified the accused as Lalji’s wife, Puja Gautam (27), and her alleged lover, Firoz (29). Both were arrested following the incident and later sent to jail.

According to investigators, Puja Gautam had been married to Lalji for several years and the couple has two children. During investigation, police found that Puja was allegedly in a relationship with Firoz, who is also married and the father of three children.

Police sources said Firoz was financially better off than Lalji, which allegedly became one of the reasons behind Puja’s growing closeness with him.

Circle officer, Doomariyaganj, Rakesh Verma, said that probe further revealed that Puja had allegedly introduced Firoz to her husband and family as a relative and had brought him to their house without arousing suspicion.

However, tensions escalated on May 21 after Lalji allegedly discovered that Firoz was not Puja’s relative but her lover. Police said a heated confrontation broke out inside the house following the revelation.

According to the probe, Verma said that Puja and Firoz then allegedly tied Lalji to a bed before pouring a petroleum-based inflammable substance on him and setting him ablaze in an alleged attempt to kill him.

The victim suffered extensive burn injuries and was initially rushed to a local hospital before being referred to BRD Medical College for advanced treatment.

Doctors treating Lalji said his condition remained critical and he continues to remain under intensive medical care. Sources said doctors have expressed concern over his survival chances because of the severity of the burns.

After receiving information about the incident, police teams launched a search operation and arrested both accused on Sunday. A criminal case has been registered against them and further legal proceedings are underway.

Police said statements of family members, neighbours and other witnesses are being recorded while forensic and medical evidence linked to the incident is also being collected as part of the investigation.