Spurned lover sets his childhood friend on fire

Hanamkonda: Warangal city woke up to a rude shock on Wednesday that a degree final year girl student has been set on fire by her childhood friend and batch-mate here. The girl Topucherla Ravali, pursuing degree in Vagdhevi Degree and PG College, sustained 70 per cent burns and now battling for her life at a hospital in Hyderabad.

Ravali, who belongs to Ramachandrapuram under Sangem mandal, is an inmate of college hostel located outside the campus. According to eyewitnesses, Ravali was intercepted by Pendyala Sai Anvesh, who drove in on a bike. He doused petrol on her before setting her ablaze.

The police said that Anvesh, who hails from Chennaram village under Wardhannapet mandal, became desperate after Ravali turned down his marriage proposal.

Anvesh and Ravali had studied in same school and intimate friends since their childhood. The duo, which completed their Intermediate from different colleges in Warangal, joined Vagdhevi college for degree - While Ravali pursuing BSc and Anvesh BCom.

Recently, Anvesh proposed to extend their friendship into wedlock, to which Ravali said ‘no’. It’s learnt that Anvesh has been pestering her for the last few days to marry him and Ravali reportedly rejected Anvesh’s proposal after her parents objected to it.

Further it’s learnt that Ravali’s parents, Sudhakar Rao and Padma, are in search of an alliance for their daughter. Against this backdrop, Anvesh resorted to gruesome act on Wednesday morning by setting Ravali on fire for rejecting his love.

The Kakatiya University police took Anvesh into custody and registered cases under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 354 D (stalking) of IPC. Meanwhile, the photographs purportedly of Anvesh and Ravali have gone viral in WhatsApp groups indicating the duo’s close relationship.

Several student organisation staged a sit-in protest on Warangal-Karimnagar road near Vagdhevi college, demanding stern action against the accused. It’s learnt that the police took the accused into custody.

It may be recalled here that in a similar incident in 2008, a student S Srinivasa Rao attacked Swapnika of KITS college by pouring acid on her when she rejected to his love proposal. While Swapnika succumbed to her injuries, the accused and his two friends, who helped him, were killed in an encounter trying to flee away from police custody.