Elderly woman dies by suicide in Thane by setting herself ablaze

An 85-year-old woman tragically ended her life by setting herself ablaze in Maharashtra`s Thane district, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Friday at Sarvodaya Nagar in Ambernath township, an official confirmed.

The deceased, identified as Parvatibai Raghav Ahire, was reportedly distressed with her life. According to PTI reports, she allegedly poured kerosene on herself and ignited the flames at her residence. An official from the Ambernath West police station stated that the incident came to light when her daughter-in-law returned home in the evening and found her burnt and motionless in the balcony. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

The police have registered a case of accidental death, and the body has been sent for postmortem. Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances leading to the tragedy, PTI reports.

In a similar incident of 2024, a 61-year-old woman in Thane ended her life by hanging herself, allegedly due to mental harassment by her son and daughter-in-law. The case, which occurred on March 2, saw the police registering an abetment to suicide charge against the accused duo following a complaint filed by the victim`s daughter.

The deceased, identified as Sushma Vilas Khairnar, reportedly left behind a 12-page suicide note recovered from her residence. According to PTI reports, senior inspector Abhay Mahajan of Naupada police station stated that the victim had been living with her son Rahul and daughter-in-law Gauri since their marriage in 2014. However, her relationship with them was strained. The note and the complaint alleged that she was restricted from moving freely within the house and was even asked to move to a senior citizen’s home.

Her daughter, who resided elsewhere, was frequently informed about the ordeal. On March 2, the victim made a distress call to her daughter, stating that she felt her life was in danger and needed to be rescued. Her daughter assured her she would meet her the next day, but before that could happen, Sushma Khairnar was found hanging from the ceiling.

She was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead. The police subsequently booked the accused under sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The investigation in the case is ongoing, as per PTI reports.

(With inputs from PTI)