Vijayawada: A 53-year-old woman from Kovvali village in Denduluru mandal of Eluru district committed suicide on Tuesday after being involved in a long-standing land dispute. The victim, identified as Devineni Ramatulasi, set herself on fire after allegedly facing harassment over her property.
According to police, Ramatulasi owned 493 square yards of land in the village.Doddavarapu Koteswara Rao and his wife, Nirmala Kumari, residents of Nagavarapupadu in Gudivada mandal, reportedly forged Ramatulasi’s signature and illegally registered the land in their name. They were allegedly assisted in the forgery by a person named Vallabhaneni Saikrishna.
A legal case had already been filed in court regarding the disputed property. Tensions escalated two days ago when Koteswara Rao and his wife took a motor and some belongings from the site, prompting Ramatulasi to file a complaint at the Denduluru police station. In retaliation, Koteswara Rao and his wife also filed a complaint against Ramatulasi and her son.
On Tuesday, the couple attempted to enter the disputed property, but Ramatulasi confronted them. Upset by their abusive behaviour, Ramatulasi returned to her home, poured petrol and set herself on fire.
Locals quickly intervened and extinguished the flames, rushing her to Eluru govt hospital in a 108 emergency vehicle. She was later transferred to a hospital in Vijayawada for better treatment but succumbed to her injuries.
Police registered a case and are investigating.
