A woman and her six-month-old baby were burnt alive when their house was gutted after an electric short-circuit at Ragigudda slum in JP Nagar here on Friday morning. Hafiza Nisha (21) was boiling milk for her baby Tahir when the fire engulfed their hut, charring them to death. The police said the fire occurred around 8.30 am after Hafiza’s husband Sheik Hussain left for work. The police said Hafiza was boiling milk on an electric stove when some of the milk fell on the stove, leading to short-circuit. A kerosene tin kept near the stove too caught fire, spreading the fire all over the hut. The baby was sleeping at the time of the accident, the police added. The couple, who had married three years ago, moved to Ragigudda slum only recently after they were evicted from KSTRC grounds.

But zonal Assistant Executive Engineeer Mr. Manjunath told the police that it was a case of suicide. The police sent the bodies to Victoria Hospital for post mortem. The police said the 400 houses at the slum have been drawing power illegally from an electric pole nearby. But the slum-dwellers said they are paying Rs 150 every month to the authorities and that their connections were cut several months ago. Rats and snakes have infested the slum, they complained. Joint Commissioner of Police Pranab Mohanty and other police officers visited the spot.