A 35-year-old Haryana man has been arrested for allegedly setting his girlfriend on fire after she found that he was already married, a revelation that investigators say triggered a series of heated confrontations between the two.

The accused, identified as Sunil Kumar, was taken into custody by Gurugram Police and has been remanded to two days of police custody as investigators piece together the circumstances that led to the death of 23-year-old Divya Kataria.

The case came to light after Kataria, a resident of Basai village in Gurugram, succumbed to severe burn injuries on June 27, more than a week after the incident. 

According to police, Kataria was admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram on June 19 with extensive burn injuries before being shifted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital for advanced treatment. At the time, neither she nor her mother sought police action, officials said.

The investigation gained momentum after Kataria's cousin filed a complaint on June 30. In his statement, he alleged that Kataria had told him days earlier that Kumar had set her on fire and warned her against revealing the truth, threatening harm to her family if she spoke about the incident.

Police inquiries revealed that the accused and the victim had been in a relationship for over a year. Investigators said they first became acquainted when Kataria visited Kumar's gold-buying business to sell jewellery. The acquaintance later developed into a romantic relationship.

During the probe, officers found that Kataria had visited Kumar's shop on June 18, where an argument allegedly broke out over the issue. Investigators suspect the confrontation intensified over the next several hours.

Police said the pair later stayed at a flat on Sohna Road, where they reportedly attempted to discuss and resolve their differences. However, another dispute allegedly erupted the following morning.

Investigators allege that Kumar then set Kataria on fire during the altercation. He subsequently took her to a hospital for treatment, police said.

Following the complaint and subsequent investigation, a police team tracked down and arrested the accused. Officers have also recovered a kerosene container believed to be linked to the crime, along with Kumar's mobile phone, which is being examined as part of the investigation.

With PTI inputs