Duped by govt librarian, man sets self on fire

tnn | Nov 19, 2017, 00:34 IST

Namakkal: A 50-year-old man attempted to set himself ablaze at the house of a government librarian, who took from him Rs 11 lakh by promising a government job for his brother's son, at Pallipalayam here on Saturday morning. He was admitted to the government hospital in Erode with 60% burns. Doctors said his condition was critical.

Meanwhile, the librarian has gone into hiding. The police have launched a manhunt for the culprit.

The victim was identified as K Thangaraj, 50, of Odapalli near Pallipalayam. According to the Pallipalayam police, he had been working with a vehicle puncture shop located in the same village.

"Thangaraj had given Rs 11 lakh to P Kalyani, 45, a librarian at the Pallipalayam government library, to secure a government job for his brother's son Arunvel in 2016. But she failed to get Arunvel a job as promised. Subsequently, Thangaraj asked Kalyani to return the money. But she refused," the police said. On Saturday morning, Thangaraj met Kalyani at her house and a heated argument broke out between the two. Suddenly, Thangaraj doused himself with kerosene and set himself on fire.

People in the vicinity immediately doused the fire by pouring water and applying mud on him. Later, they put him on banana leaves. When alerted, the Pallipalayam police reached the spot and took him to the government hospital in Erode, where his condition is said to be critical.