VIJAYAWADA: A couple was set ablaze while sleeping outside their home near Ainavolu village in Vinukonda of Palnadu district in the early hours Wednesday. While the man identified as Neelaboyina Pedda Srinu (50) died from 60% burns, his wife Mangamma remains in critical condition. Police said, the couple was asleep on a cot outside their under-construction house when unidentified persons poured petrol on them and set them on afire between 2.30am and 3am.
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The couple was temporarily living in a makeshift shelter adjacent to the site, where they were also building a bathroom. Their screams woke up other family members, including son Brahmaiah (23) and daughter-in-law Neela Nagamani, sleeping nearby. They rushed to help, but the victims had already sustained severe burns. Local resident Mekala Subba Rao assisted in dousing the flames. The couple was rushed to Vinukonda govt hospital and referred to aprivate hospital in Guntur, where Srinu succumbed to burns. Police suspect the attack may have stemmed from a family dispute over land and the construction of a bathroom. A heated altercation reportedly occurred three days before the incident between the victims and a relative, Neelagiri Venkateswarlu alias Kotayya. He is now prime suspect and is absconding. Ainavolu police filed a case of murder and attempted murder. Efforts are underway to nab the suspect, police said.
