Bhadrak: In a shocking incident, a married man allegedly poured petrol on a Class 9 schoolgirl in a bid to set her on fire after she repeatedly rejected his advances at a village in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on Tuesday.
According to preliminary information, the incident took place in Lanjara Chowk area of Fatepur Panchayat under the juri
sdiction of Dhusuri police station when the minor girl was proceeding to school in the morning.
Sources said the 32-year-old man, who hails from nearby Dharmagatpur village, intercepted the girl and allegedly poured petrol on her in an apparent attempt to set her on fire.
Hearing the girl’s cries for help, locals rushed to the spot and managed to overpower the accused before handing him over to the police. Their timely intervention is believed to have prevented a major tragedy.
Locals said the accused, who is married, had allegedly been harassing the minor and repeatedly proposing to her for a long time. The girl had consistently rejected his advances. The attack was triggered by the accused’s obsession and resentment over the repeated rejection of his one-sided love.
The accused has been detained at Dhusuri police station for questioning. Police have launched an investigation to establish the sequence of events and ascertain the exact motive behind the alleged attack.