Odisha Motor Vehicle Department Constable Ashutosh Mrudungia, 31, died Friday morning while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
He had sustained nearly 80 per cent burn injuries in a shocking incident on June 5.
Mrudungia, posted at Chhatrapur, alleged that his wife, Sandhya Nayak and her brother Dibas Nayak poured petrol on him and set him on fire at her government quarters in Berhampur police colony. His statement was recorded by the police in the presence of a magistrate at AIIMS.
According to his account, he tried to escape after petrol was poured on him, but his brother-in-law lit a matchstick. Witnesses saw him running down the staircase engulfed in flames, before entering a neighbour’s house. The havildar sustained burns while attempting to rescue him.
Police registered a case based on a complaint filed by Mrudungia’s sister, Nibedita Patra. Investigators seized a plastic bottle and a matchbox from the scene and sent the mobile phones of the victim and the accused for forensic examination.
The constable had earlier faced marital discord. His wife had lodged a domestic assault complaint on May 18, leading to his arrest. He was released on bail on June 2, just three days before the burn incident.
Doctors placed him on a ventilator support two days ago as his condition worsened. His death has intensified the investigation, with police examining all angles, including marital disputes and prior allegations.
