Engineering college student arrested for attempting to set woman student ablaze over rejected love proposal

A 21-year-old engineering college student was arrested for allegedly attempting to set a 20-year-old woman student on fire by pouring petrol on her after she rejected his advances, near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district.

The incident occurred when the third-year undergraduate student of an arts and science college was travelling in a college bus to her institution near Periyapalayam. The bus was proceeding from Uthukottai when a youth riding a two-wheeler intercepted it at Ariyapakkam.

The youth allegedly picked an argument with the woman student over their relationship and attempted to pour petrol on her from a can he was carrying. Alerted by the commotion, the public, along with the bus driver and attendant, surrounded him and handed him over to the Periyapalayam police.

During interrogation, the police identified him as Srikanth, alias Samuel, 21, a resident of Palavakkam village and a third-year Artificial Intelligence Engineering student at the same college. He allegedly told the police that he was in love with the woman but was upset that she had been ignoring him. He attempted to threaten her by pouring petrol on her, police said.

Police arrested Srikanth and remanded him in judicial custody at Puzhal Central Prison.