Autorickshaw driver sets man ablaze

Ramanathapuram

An autorickshaw driver has allegedly set ablaze a man by dousing him with petrol at Kenikarai junction here on Thursday night.

Police said R. Jaisankar, 38, the deceased who was employed in a jewellery shop, was lying down in front TASMAC shop, after got drunk when G. Suresh alias ‘Auto’ Suresh, 41, returning home after day’s work, set him blaze.

Police said Suresh who had enmity with the deceased found him lying down after consuming liquor. After the deceased failed to respond to his call, the accused brought petrol kept in his autorickshaw and poured on him, before setting fire.

Jaisankar screamed in pain but there was none to come to his rescue at the odd hour. Soon there was a downpour and the rain doused the flames. After gaining consciousness, Jaisankar went home in the early hours of Friday and was later admitted to the Government District Headquarters Hospital.

After giving a statement to the police at the hospital, he succumbed to the burns, police said. Later police arrested Suresh, who confessed to murdering Jaisankar, police said. He said he had a fight with the deceased last year when Jaisankar hit him on his head, causing a serious head injury.

He had spent about ₹ 1 lakh to recover from the injury and since then, he had been waiting for an opportunity to finish him off, the accused told the police. He was produced before a court which remanded him in judicial custody, police added.