A 17-year-old girl was set ablaze allegedly by a jilted lover in the Alamnagar area here, police said today. The incident occurred yesterday under the City Kotwali police station area here, they added. The accused, identified as Zahid Ansari, allegedly barged into the house of the minor victim and set her ablaze after dousing her with kerosene, Circle Officer Abhishek Pandey said.
The victim gave the accused a chase in an attempt to catch him but lost unconscious as the flames engulfed her, he said. She was rushed to a local hospital from where she was referred to hospital in Varanasi, Pandey said, adding that she suffered 80 per cent burns. The accused often teased the girl, he said. A case has been lodged and efforts are on to nab Ansari, who is on the run, the CO added.