A man disguised as a woman has set his married lover on fire inside her house here after she refused to leave with him, police said.

As the woman’s neighbours rushed to her house after hearing her screams on Tuesday afternoon, the accused, Umesh (28), tried to escape by jumping from the terrace but sustained severe injuries, police said.

Both Rekha (30), who suffered over 70 per cent burns, and Umesh are undergoing treatment at SN Medical College in Agra, they said.

Rekha, a resident of Koh village, was alone at home watching TV when the incident occurred. Her children, aged seven and five, were at school and her husband Sanju, a farm labourer, was away at work, Farah police station in-charge Sanjay Kumar Pandey said.

Around noon, Umesh, a resident of Hasanpur village in Haryana and the brother of Rekha’s elder sister-in-law reached her house with a bottle of petrol, the police official said.

“Umesh was wearing a lehenga to disguise himself as a woman and was dropped off near the village by a friend on a motorcycle. He entered Rekha’s house from the terrace, walked into her room and pressured her to leave with him. When she refused, he poured petrol on her and set her on fire,” Pandey said.

Alerted by Rekha’s screams, her neighbours rushed to her help while Umesh tried to escape by jumping from the terrace. However, he was seriously injured, the official said.

After reaching the spot, police took Rekha and Umesh to the Farah community health centre. Due to their critical condition, they were later referred to SN Medical College in Agra, police said.

“Umesh was a regular visitor to Rekha’s house and their relationship developed over time. On August 31 last year, Rekha left home with him. Her family filed a police complaint and she was brought back from Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh on February 10,” Pandey said.

“After the incident, Rekha distanced herself from Umesh, realising her mistake. When she refused to go with him today, he became enraged and tried to kill her,” the official said.

Pandey said that no formal complaint has been lodged in the matter yet. “Once a complaint is received, legal action will be taken. For now, saving their lives is the priority,” he said.

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