Daijiworld Media Network – Thane

Thane, Oct 27: In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl suffered severe burn injuries after being allegedly set ablaze by a juvenile friend at her residence in Thane’s Balkum area following a quarrel, police said on Monday.

The incident took place on October 24, when the accused, also 17, reportedly visited the victim’s house, poured a flammable liquid on her, and set her on fire. The girl sustained nearly 80 per cent burns and is undergoing treatment at KEM Hospital in Mumbai, where her condition remains critical, officials said.

Senior Inspector Pravin Mane of Kapurbawdi Police Station said the attack stemmed from an earlier dispute between the two. “Despite the victim’s cries for help, the accused did not make any attempt to save her,” Mane stated.

Neighbours, noticing smoke coming from the girl’s house, immediately alerted her father, who was away at the time. The father contacted the accused, asking him to take the victim to the hospital. The accused later shifted her to Thane Civil Hospital before she was transferred to Mumbai for advanced care.

Following the incident, the juvenile was detained and presented before a court, which ordered him to be lodged in a remand home. The Kapurbawdi police have registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 109 (attempt to murder) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).

Police are further investigating the motive behind the gruesome attack.