Mother Sets 10-Year-Old Girl On Fire To Prove Loyalty To Husband

In a shocking incident, a mother in India allegedly set her 10-year-old daughter on fire in a bid to prove her loyalty to her husband. Both the woman and her husband have been arrested.

The man, identified as Padmanabhan, asked his wife, Jayalakshmi, to set the girl on fire during a heated exchange Sunday. He said the child, identified as Pavithra, would make it out unscathed if Jayalakshmi was really faithful to him, the Times of India reported.

The 38-year-old woman poured kerosene on the girl and set her on fire. The girl suffered 75% burns and died Monday morning.

Police said Jayalakshmi, who lives in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, has been married three times. She first got married at the age of 19 to a man named Palvannan and they have a daughter, who is now living with her grandmother. Jayalakshmi left her first husband to marry his younger brother, with whom she had Pavithra.

Jayalakshmi married Padmanabhan, who is a tanker driver, about nine years back and the couple share two children, aged six and four. Pavithra was also living with them.

Police said Padmanabhan would drink frequently and fight with Jayalakshmi accusing her of having a wandering eye. They had a fight on Sunday before Padmanabhan challenged his wife to prove her fidelity by setting ablaze her 10-year-old daughter.

Pavithra, who was sleeping with her stepsiblings, was dragged out of her room by her mother and set on fire. Neighbors rushed in after hearing the child's screams and extinguished the fire, India Today reported. The child was wrapped up in thick bedsheets and taken to a hospital. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries the next morning.

Jayalakshmi and Padmanabhan were arrested in connection with the girl's death. They were found guilty and were put behind bars.