Death of pregnant woman in Perambra: Car set on fire deliberately, family levels serious allegations

The family of a pregnant woman who died after a moving car caught fire at Cheruvannur near Perambra in Kozhikode has levelled serious allegations against her husband, Rajinlal.

Speaking to Mathrubhumi.com, the deceased woman Sona’s uncle, AK Sathyan, said the family suspects the fire was deliberate and not caused by a short circuit.

“If it was a short circuit, the car would not have burned like this. It appears to have been set on fire intentionally,” he alleged.

The family believes that some highly inflammable material may have been kept inside the vehicle. They also questioned why Sona was made to sit in the back seat instead of the front. According to Sathyan, even Rajinlal’s people from his locality had raised similar suspicions. He said the family only knows from Rajinlal’s relatives that his condition remains serious.

Sathyan further alleged that when the fire broke out, Rajinlal jumped into a nearby stream to save himself. He also claimed that Rajinlal did not inform local residents who rushed to the spot knowing another person was trapped inside the car. The rear door reportedly did not open.

“The truth behind the incident must come out. We strongly suspect Rajinlal and are preparing to file complaints with the police and the Women’s Commission,” Sathyan said.

He also spoke about the couple’s relationship. According to him, Sona and Rajinlal were in a love relationship after getting acquainted through social media while Rajinlal was working in the Gulf. However, during that period, Rajinlal allegedly entered into another relationship and decided to marry another woman. On learning this, Sona reportedly attempted suicide by trying to jump in front of a train near Vadakara railway station. Later, after mediation at a police station, Rajinlal agreed to marry her. Though both families opposed the relationship, the couple registered their marriage in 2023, Sathyan added.

The incident occurred around 9 pm on Friday on the Cheruvannur-Kakkaramukku road. The couple were returning home after visiting a hospital in Kozhikode when the car caught fire in a paddy field area near Othayoth Thazhe, shortly after turning onto the Kakkaramukku road. Their home was reportedly only two kilometres away.

As the incident occurred near a stream in a field area, local residents who rushed to the spot were able to help extinguish the flames. Residents earlier said they heard a loud explosion before seeing the vehicle engulfed in flames.

By the time locals arrived, Rajinlal had already jumped out of the car and was reportedly crying out for help. Since his clothes had caught fire, he jumped into a nearby stream to put out the flames himself.

Residents later brought buckets and used water from the stream to control the fire before the Fire Force arrived.

Initially, rescuers did not realise another person was inside the vehicle. Sona was lying in the rear seat, and part of the roof of the car had collapsed onto her, making her difficult to spot from outside.

As the rear door was locked, locals struggled for a long time to rescue her. They eventually broke the window and carried her out on a bedsheet. Residents said she was still alive at that time.

A forensic team and officials from the Motor Vehicles Department inspected the scene on Saturday morning. The scientific team from the Kozhikode district forensic unit collected samples from the vehicle.

Investigators found that only the interior of the car was completely burned, while the engine compartment under the bonnet had not caught fire. The fire also had not spread into the bonnet area.

Police said the exact cause of the fire remains unclear and that conclusions can be drawn only after forensic examination results are received.

Residents nearby also reported hearing a loud explosion at the moment the car caught fire, though the cause of the sound remains unknown.