Couple Set Ablaze Over $147 Loan As Kids Slept In Next Room; Husband Dead

A man in India was arrested for setting a married couple on fire over a loan of $147 as their children slept in the next room.

The accused, identified only as Motinath, told the police he had lent money to the couple last year to renovate their home. He claimed that they weren’t repaying the amount and also threatened to kill him whenever he reminded them about it, News 18 reported.

Frustrated by this, the accused decided to kill them. The incident took place in the northern state of Madhya Pradesh.

On Saturday, the man purchased petrol from a store and approached the couple’s residence. He entered the home at midnight, and found the two sleeping. Motinath then poured petrol on them and set them ablaze.

The couple’s children, who were sleeping in the next room, woke up to screams and rushed to their parents' room to find them on fire. They attempted to douse the flames and alerted the neighbors, who rushed the couple to a local hospital.

Due to the extent of their injuries, the victims were transported to another hospital, where the husband succumbed to burn injuries Sunday night. The wife remained hospitalized as of Monday and her condition was reported to be critical, MCE Zone reported.

Meanwhile, the accused, who was on the run, was traced and taken into custody from a forest near the couple’s home Sunday morning, local daily Agniban reported [Google Translate showed].

During interrogation, he confessed to the crime, following which he was charged with murder and attempted murder.

Earlier this month, a couple in India’s capital, New Delhi, strangled a 72-year-old woman to death as they were unable to repay the loan taken from the victim. The woman's dismembered body parts were found in a canal. Investigation revealed the couple had taken a loan of $1,300 from the victim during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to repay, they hatched a plan to murder the elderly woman. They then entered her home when she was alone, killed her, chopped her body into three pieces before stuffing them in separate wheeled bags and disposing of the corpse.