Hyderabad: A young couple was burnt alive in a parked car in Ghatkesar on the outskirts of the city on Monday night in a case of suspected suicide. How the fire started is under investigation.
The deceased were identified as Sriram, who worked at a bicycle shop, and Likitha from Narapally. One of them got out of the car and died after falling on a nearby sidewalk. The incident took place at around 5:30 pm on a footpath near the Outer Ring Road in Ghatkesar.
Locals alerted the fire department, but by the time fire engines arrived and doused the flames, the two were dead.
Initially, police believed it was an accidental fire. However, hours later, a member of Sriram’s family approached police and said the young man called him and told him to end his life. The family member also shared Sriram’s suicide note written to his brother with the police. Police later discovered that Liquisha had also written a suicide note addressed to her father.
In his suicide note, Sriram accused a Chintu man of blackmailing him and demanding money. He claimed that he had paid Rs 1.30 lakh to Chintu but did not elaborate on why he was harassed.
Sriram claimed that he had been in love with Rikitha for five years and they were trying to convince her family to allow them to get married.
After police found two suicide notes, they suspected the couple might have set themselves on fire in the car, with the flames spreading to other parts of the car before the fuel tank caught fire. The investigation is ongoing to determine details.