In a horrifying incident in Kuntapally village (Sangem mandal, Warangal district), a man set his own mother on fire during an argument over money early Saturday morning.
The victim, 60-year-old Muttineni Vinoda, is now fighting for her life at MGM Hospital in Warangal with 80% burn injuries. Police say her son, Muttineni Satish, who is known to be an alcoholic, has been troubling his parents—Vinoda and Sambaiah—for money for a long time.
This wasn’t the first time Satish tried to hurt his mother. A year ago, he tried to set her on fire using dry grass, but she escaped with minor burns. This time, he came to their house with a bottle of petrol, poured it on his mother while she was sleeping, and set her on fire.
His father, Sambaiah, woke up due to the smell of petrol and tried to stop him, but Satish managed to light the matchstick. Vinoda’s clothes caught fire, and she was soon covered in flames. Neighbours heard the noise and rushed in to help put out the fire. She was then taken to the hospital.
Police said the trouble began after the government paid the elderly couple Rs 20 lakh as compensation for acquiring their farmland for a textile park. Out of this, Rs 15 lakh was divided between Satish and his sister, and the remaining Rs 5 lakh was kept in the bank for the parents’ use.
Satish used his share to buy land near his in-laws’ village, but later started demanding more money from his parents. He wrongly believed they gave more money to his sister and continued to threaten them even after they explained the truth.
Police have now launched a full investigation into the case.
