Kochi: Days after a teenaged girl was set ablaze by a youth in Thiruvalla, a bike-born assailant splashed petrol on a young woman riding scooter in the city Thursday night. The assailant aborted efforts to set her ablaze as she screamed for help.
The woman, who was riding her scooter with a friend, was waived down by the assailant on the pretext of having a conversation. He fled the scene as the women screamed after being splashed with petrol, said eyewitnesses. The 22-year-old was given first aid at a private hospital in Kadavanthra.
Though a Malayali, her family lives in Ooty. She is working part-time along with her studies. The police said eyewitness accounts were being used to nab the attacker.
In a horrifying incident, a 20-year-old man poured petrol on the teenage girl and set her ablaze at Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old girl, a radiology student, suffered over 50 per cent burns and was rushed to a private hospital before being shifted to Ernakulam Medical Centre for further treatment.
The accused, Ajin Reji Mathew, was arrested from the crime scene, and the police said that he was the girl's classmate in grade 12.
A resident of Thiruvalla, the girl told police that Mathew had professed his love for her, but she had spurned his proposal.
The accused has been booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.