UP man allegedly ties wife to chair, burns her alive over suspected affair; flees with children

Kannauj: A man allegedly tied his wife to a chair, poured petrol on her and set her ablaze over suspicion of an extramarital affair, before fleeing with their children, in Kannauj district on Thursday morning, police said.

Sonam, 30, burnt to death in the incident which occurred in Jagatpur village under the Chhibramau police station area.

Her remains were recovered from the house after firefighters brought the blaze under control.

The accused, Sukhbir Singh alias Monu, fled the scene with the couple’s two children, a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, police said.

The couple had been married for around 11 years. Sukhbir worked in a private job in Haryana’s Hisar and had returned to the village around 15 days ago, according to villagers.

Chhibramau Station House Officer Kapil Dubey said Sukhbir suspected his wife of having an affair with a local youth and had started keeping a watch on her.

The suspicion reportedly intensified after he caught her talking to the youth over the phone. The couple had been engaged in arguments for the past two days, police said.

Sukhbir allegedly tied Sonam to a chair on Thursday morning at around 7 am, poured petrol on her and set her on fire.

Hearing the commotion and seeing flames engulfing the house, villagers rushed to the spot and alerted the police and fire brigade.

Firefighters took around one-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze under control. On entering the house, they found Sonam’s skeletal remains.

Dubey and a police team inspected the spot and confirmed the victim’s identity.

The accused is absconding and efforts are underway to trace him, police said.