According to the police, Santosh Mahato, who hails from Madhubani Piparaun village in Bihar of India, had put Kamala on fire. Police found Santosh´s involvement in the crime on the basis of his bicycle, which was abandoned on the spot.
Santosh, who was living in his uncle´s house in Tulsiyahi VDC of Dhanusha, has fled to India after the incident. Police said they are trying to get Santosh back from India. In a bid to put pressure on Santosh to surrender, police had briefly detained his uncle Laxmi Mahato, a resident of Tulsiyahi VDC-7. [break]
Kamali´s family claimed the police freed Laxmi under pressure from local Nepali Congress (NC) leaders. However, DSP Santosh Singh Rathore of District Police Office of Dhanusha said Laxmi was freed after he expressed commitment to bear Kamali´s treatment expenses and help bring back Santosh from India.
Santosh and Kamali were classmates in Shri Ram Secondary School in Matihani of Mahottari district. According to Kamali´s family, Santosh would always follow her. As she could not focus on her studies, Kamali was sent to Bihar, India for study. But, Santosh continued to follow her even there. Tired of Santosh´s tireless chasing, Kamali returned to her village.
Kamali´s family also claims that Santosh had time and again warned of killing her if she did not accept his marriage proposal. On Tuesday morning, Santosh found Kamali walking alone on a deserted road. She first poured petrol on her and set her on fire, claimed Kamali´s family. Kamali somehow managed to douse the fire by rolling her body over the grass but she had sustained severe damages by then.
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