Bihar: Pregnant Woman Dies After Husband Sets Her On Fire For Carrying Female Foetus

A man in Bihar allegedly set his wife ablaze after he got to know that she was carrying a female foetus. Efforts are underway to nab the accused and his absconding family.

A man in Bihar allegedly set his wife ablaze after he got to know that she was carrying a female foetus. Efforts are underway to nab the accused and his absconding family.

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A pregnant woman in Bihar's Jamui district succumbed to her injuries during treatment after her husband, desperate for a male child, set her ablaze on Tuesday morning. The victim was identified as Radha Devi (27 years old) and was four-month pregnant at the time of the incident. As per preliminary investigation, her husband, Ranjeet Shah, allegedly set her on fire after he got to know that she was carrying a female foetus. According to news agency IANS, the husband got to know about the gender illegally through an ultrasound at a private clinic in Jamui.

The accused poured kerosene on his wife and set her on fire. The victim sustained burn injuries and was admitted to a private hospital. She was then referred to Sadar Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. 

SHO of Barhat police station, AK Azad, told IANS, “After we were informed that a woman was burnt alive in Sudamapur village, we rushed to the spot and took the victim to the hospital. A bottle of kerosene and a matchbox were also found at the crime scene. The accused and his entire family are on the run. Efforts are on to nab them."

According to an IANS report, the victim had earlier informed her parents about the ultrasound and the desperation of the accused to have a male child. 

The brother-in-law of the victim, Kedar Shah, told IANS, “Ranjeet wanted a male child as he already had two daughters. We have learnt that he took his wife to a private clinic and learnt about the female foetus inside Radha's womb, which enraged him.”

Earlier last year, the body of an eight-month pregnant woman was exhumed in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur after her husband killed her for carrying a female foetus. The UP Police arrested the husband on the charges of murder, as reported by India Today.