Patuakhali man held over burning wife to death

A man was arrested yesterday in Patuakhali Sadar upazila after a case was filed earlier that day against him and five of his family members, over allegedly burning his wife to death.

The arrestee is Bashar Mridha, 32, son of Ismail Mridha of Tengrakhali village in the upazila.

His wife Kona Akhter, 25, daughter of Siraj Mridha, a disabled poor man from Hajikhali village in the same upazila, died from burn injuries at Dhaka Medical college hospital on Friday evening. She sustained petrol burns on March 2 at Bashar's house in Tengrakhali village.

Kona's father filed the case yesterday morning with Patuakhali Police Station.

According to the case statement and family members of the victim, Bashar and his family members tied Kona down with ropes and poured petrol on her before setting fire to her.

Kona married Bashar six years ago. She was as his second marriage. Ever since, her husband and his family used to torture her for dowry.

On March 2, Bashar along with his father, Ismail Mridha, started to beat her up after his father complained that the food that she had served him during lunch earlier that day was inedible. 

At one a stage, Bashar tied her hands and legs with rope and set her on fire after pouring petrol, extracted petrol from his motorcycle, on her.

When the ropes burnt out, Kona, while screaming for help, ran out of the house and jumped into a nearby pond. Her neighbours came out to rescued her from the pond and took her to Patuakhali 250-Bed General Hospital in the evening.  

She was then transferred to Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital and the next day, when her condition deteriorated, she was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. She passed away four days later.