Hyderabad: A 35-year-old painter who suffered burns in a fire at home a week ago died on Monday night.
The painter, Srinivas, in his dying declaration, had said that when he was trying to light the stove, the paints kept nearby caught fire. But his family alleged that Srinivas was continuously harassed by four persons including a home guard, to purchase alcohol and cigarettes for them. He was attacked once when he refused to buy for them. Last week when they tried to attack him, he ran into his house and set himself ablaze.
Police registered an abetment to suicide case against the four, including the home guard Hari attached to the RTO office at Khairatabad.
The deceased, Srinivas 32, hailing from East Godavari district, came to Hyderabad 18 years ago and settled in Saibaba Nagar along with his wife and two daughters.
Srinivas’s family said that he was troubled by a gang of goons led by one Bhanu. The gang regularly intercepted people returning home from work and extorted money from them. Srinivas also gave money to them sometimes. A month ago, when they demanded money, he refused to give and the gang attacked him.
On February 9 also when he refused to give money they tried to attack him. He rushed home and locked himself up. His wife Ramadevi and daughters saw Bhanu’s gang chasing Srinivas and shouting that they would kill him. “I and my daughters begged them to spare my husband but they did not listen. Meanwhile my husband burnt himself using thinner,” said Ramadevi. She said if the police acted against the gang during the first incident her husband would not have died.
The police said that they investigated the complaint. “We warned them,” said SR Nagar additional inspector N. Satish. Srinivas, who suffered 70 per cent burns died on Monday.
“In his dying declaration before magistrate he said the fire broke out accidentally while he was switching on the stove. But, we registered an abetment to suicide case against Bhanu, Prasad, Jersey and Hari,” the officer said.
