Teenage witness to illicit affair burnt to death in West Bengal

A 14-year-old boy was burnt to death in Mirzapur village of West Bengal’s West Midnapore district because he allegedly saw a woman in a compromising position with a man.

The boy, Sabir Ali died on Sunday after was set on fire allegedly by the duo at the woman’s shop on Friday night.

Police arrested Rinku Mukhi, in her thirties, from her house on a complaint by Ali’s father Sheikh Manu, a farmer. A hunt has been launched for the man she was having an affair with, as he is on the run.

On Friday, Ali had gone to the shop run by Rinku to buy some items, but he did not find her there and found her in an adjacent room in a compromising position with the man.

Fearing that he might have taken a photo on his cellphone, they called him back, the woman told the police.

They then allegedly tied the boy to a chair, grabbed his cellphone and searched it for their picture. They could not find any photo on the phone, but panicked that he might tell others in the village about their illicit relationship.

The boy’s father alleged that the man poured kerosene on his son and set him on fire. According to police, they also gagged him.

“My son had gone to the shop to buy some items. When he did not return, we started looking for him. On Saturday morning, we found my son badly burnt from the house of Rinku Mukhi,” Manu said.

Ali was rushed to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition, and later shifted to Cuttack where he died on Sunday. Before dying, he muttered Rinku’s name, police said.

Rinku was married to a man who left her, and she lives alone in a house at the end of the village. She runs a small shop, selling groceries and other items. The man, from a neighbouring village, runs a small business, according to police.