A 24-year-old woman techie died after setting herself ablaze in a Bengaluru hotel room because she was allegedly repeatedly blackmailed by her uncle and aunt with her private photos and videos, police said on Thursday.
The woman’s uncle, who is the prime accused, has been arrested and a detailed probe is underway, the police added.
The woman set herself on fire at Radha Hometel, near Kundalahalli metro station, on Sunday evening, when her uncle forced her to meet him there.
According to Whitefield Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivakumar Gunar, the woman was initially reluctant to visit the hotel room, where her uncle was waiting, but was forced to do so after he threatened to share her private photos and videos with her parents.
The victim, however, carried some petrol that she poured on herself inside the room and set herself ablaze, police said. She succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
The woman’s mother alleged her daughter had been staying with her uncle and aunt for six years, and would even go on trips with them.
The police said they have seized a pen drive from the man’s possession. A case has been registered against the man and his wife under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at HAL Police Station and a detailed probe is underway.
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