By Soumitra Nandi
Kolkata:  A Kolkata Police constable was arrested on Friday on charges of setting his wife ablaze at his residence in Thakupukur in the southern fringes of the city. The landlord of the house where the couple used to live was also apprehended by the police in this case connection earlier in the day.

Deputy Commissioner of police (South West) Rashid Munir Khan said,” As per the dying statement of the victim at SSKM hospital before the Magistrate on Thursday night Rajeev Bhattacharjee, the landlord of the house where the victim lived was arrested on Friday morning. Later in the day her husband Gopal Sarkar, a constable of Ultadanga traffic guard of the city police was also arrested from a hideout in Thakurpukur area. 

According to police sources, Gopal had married the victim, a resident of Ratua in Malda district of West Bengal in the year 2003. The couple have two children one aged 10 years and another seven years.

Investigations revealed that Gopal used to torture her wife for dowry. “Often he would seek things in terms of cash and kind from the victim’s father Narayan Sarkar. Recently he had demanded Rs 15 lakhs from the victim’s father for buying a land and building up his own house there,” said an investigating officer. 

The girl’s father had said that it was a very big amount and sought for sometime to pay Gopal. On the night of 19th April there was a heated altercation between the two “We suspect that acid was thrown at my daughter’s face. The face and her head suffered severe burns and only the portion beneath the knee was burnt. We are of the opinion that her lower portion was deliberately set on fire to make it seem an incident of suicide by burning,” alleged the victim’s father Narayan Sarkar.

Following the incident, Gopal had called up the family saying that her wife had made a suicide attempt after which the victim’s family rushed from Malda. They lodged a complaint of murder against Gopal. “The way in which my daughter suffered her burns we were sure that it was foul play. She had earlier alleged torture for dowry but we had told her to adjust. It was a big mistake,” the victim’s father told to the Journospy correspondent.

The victim was first admitted at MR Bangur Hospital and later shifted to SSKM where she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday late night. However, she gave her dying declaration before the magistrate before her death on the basis of which a case of murder and domestic violence was initiated by the police and both the accused were arrested based on her statement.