KANNAUJ: A 30-year-old woman was allegedly tied to a chair, doused with petrol and set on fire by her husband over suspicion of an extramarital affair in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj district on Thursday morning, police said.Sonam died in the fire at her house in Jagatpur village, under the Chhibramau police station area. Her husband, Sukhbir Singh alias Monu, allegedly fled with their two children, a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, after setting the house ablaze.Her remains were recovered from the house after firefighters brought the fire under control.The couple had been married for around 11 years. Sukhbir worked in a private job in Haryana’s Hisar and had returned to the village around 15 days ago, according to villagers.Chhibramau Station House Officer Kapil Dubey said Sukhbir suspected his wife of having an affair with a local youth and had started keeping a watch on her.The suspicion reportedly grew after he caught her talking to the youth over the phone. The couple had been arguing for the past two days, police said.On Thursday, at around 7am, Sukhbir allegedly tied Sonam to a chair, poured petrol on her and set her ablaze.Hearing the commotion and seeing flames engulfing the house, villagers rushed to the spot and alerted the police and fire brigade.Firefighters took around one-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze under control. When they entered the house, they found Sonam’s skeletal remains.Dubey and a police team inspected the spot and confirmed the victim’s identity.Sukhbir is absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him, police said.(With inputs from PTI)
