Mother Pours Gasoline Into 8-Year-Old Son's Mouth, Sets Him On Fire

A 31-year-old woman in Russia has been arrested for allegedly forcing gasoline into her 8-year-old son's mouth, and then setting him on fire.

The child, who suffered 45% burns, succumbed to his injuries two days later at a hospital in the city of Kursk, media outlet Latin Times reported.

Anastasia Baulina, a cashier, was angry that her son Audrey "betrayed" her by telling his stepfather about her lover. An enraged Baulina took her son to the courtyard, poured fuel from a canister into his mouth and set him ablaze using a lighter, the report said.

As she poured the fuel into the boy’s mouth, Baulina reportedly said: “Let’s see how it will burn,” Latin Times reported.

The victim's 12-year-old sister Natasha was nearby when the incident happened. The terrified girl fled the scene and later told the police, “(The fuel) was pouring into his mouth, as he was crying,” 7News reported.

On seeing the child burn, the stepfather Pavel Baulin, 35, tried to douse the flames. He immediately called the ambulance, which rushed the critically-injured child to the hospital.

According to neighbor Nina Chetverikova, Baulina fought with her husband. "I saw her at the bus stop. She had a quarrel with her husband. It seems she took it out on her children."

The accused faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted. Meanwhile, as the murder investigation progresses, another probe has been opened into why Audrey was allowed back to stay with Baulina after he was earlier removed from her care to an orphanage.

Earlier, a similar case was reported in India where a superstitious man set his 5-year-old son on fire, believing the child would bring bad luck. The child, who suffered 95% burns, died after a few days. The police said the father, Ramki, a firm believer of astrology, checked the horoscope of Saran with an astrologer, who said his son would bring him bad luck, prompting him to commit the act.

Another incident too saw a 10-year-old boy being set on fire by his father for not focusing on his studies. The police said the victim suffered 60% burns and succumbed to his injuries in hospital.