Elderly woman set ablaze during robbery on June 30 dies in Sangli, no arrests yet

Kolhapur: A 78-year-old woman who was robbed and set ablaze by unidentified assailants outside her home in Sangli district last week succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital in Sangli, turning the robbery case into a murder investigation.

No arrests have been made so far.Malan Jadhav, a resident of Shetphale village in Atpadi tehsil, died on Saturday night, days after she was allegedly attacked in the early hours of June 30.According to a complaint lodged by her son, Vitthal Jadhav, the elderly woman had stepped out of her house when unknown people lying in wait allegedly attacked her, forced her back inside, robbed her of about 15 grams of gold jewellery worth Rs 45,000, and then poured kerosene on her before setting her on fire in an apparent attempt to eliminate her.Hearing her cries, neighbours camr to her aid and took her first to a hospital in Atpadi, and later to Sangli Civil Hospital for advanced treatment. Despite medical care, she died on Saturday night. Her last rites were performed on Sunday.“The woman had three sons, all living away from her. She was living with one of her grandsons, who was away when the incident took place. We are trying to ascertain the motive of the crime. Why did the robbers come with a matchbox and kerosene to carry out the robbery? Our teams are working on the case,” said inspector Sanjeev Zade, of the Sangli local crime branch.Investigators said medical officials informed them that the extent of burn injuries was not very severe, but the victim’s advanced age and other health-related complications likely contributed to her death.