Kerala: Gold theft case: Wife arrested, husband takes extreme step due to depression

KOLLAM: A husband, upset over his wife’s arrest on theft charges, attempted suicide by pouring petrol on himself. Rafiq, a resident of Rafiq Manzil in the Padinjattinkara ward of the Edamulakkal Gram Panchayat in the Anchal block, attempted suicide on Sunday afternoon. The suicide attempt occurred when no one was home. Seeing the fire spreading, locals alerted the Anchal police. Police arrived and admitted Rafiq to a private hospital and later to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Rafiq reportedly suffered burns of more than 50%. Police said Rafiq had previously attempted suicide.

Rafiq’s wife, Sabina, was arrested by police on Monday, February 16, on charges of theft. Sabina had stolen a child’s gold anklet, worth three-quarters of its weight, from a private bus traveling from Anchal to Kulathupuzha. The child’s mother reported the anklet to bus staff, who then informed the police. The police who arrived at the spot recovered the gold during a search and took Sabina, who looked suspicious, to the Anchal police station.