A couple was fighting for their lives with nearly 70% burns after unidentified assailants allegedly barged into their house and set them on fire while they were sleeping at Chakrada in Odisha’s Balasore district late on Tuesday night in an attack that police suspect may have stemmed from enmity.
Police said Bijay Behera and his wife Aarti Behera were asleep when the attackers poured petrol on them before setting them on fire. The attack sparked a state of panic in the neighborhood as the couple screamed for help from inside the burning house. Neighbors rushed to the spot, broke down the door to rescue the couple, and took them to a local health center and then to the district hospital in Balasore. The couple was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar, where they both remained in critical condition.
Police said a petrol bottle, a mobile phone and other items were recovered from the scene and are being examined as part of the investigation.
Additional Superintendent Manas De was among the senior police officers who visited Chakrada and inspected the crime scene.
The couple’s family said the attack may have been an act of revenge linked to a dispute involving the couple’s son, Babu, who was in a relationship with a woman and ran away a few months ago. Relatives suspect that members of the woman’s family may have been behind the attack, although police have not confirmed this claim.
Police said all angles are being examined, including past rivalry and personal animosity. No arrests have been made so far.
