In yet another gruesome incident of assault, a stalker set a young woman on fire in Warangal district on Wednesday allegedly for rejecting his proposal for marriage.

The incident took place at around 9 am, when the victim, Ravali, a final year BSc student was on her way to college. The two had been in a relationship, but police say that the accused, Anwesh, her classmate, stopped her at Nayeem Nagar and demanded her to marry him. "As she rejected his proposal, the accused, who was carrying petrol concealed in his bag, poured it on her and set her ablaze," said Hanamkonda ACP Chandraiah to TNM.   

"Though there were enough people around, they couldn't come to the victim's rescue. Only after she fell down, the crowd rushed to help her. They were all scared," he added.

After the incident, the accused escaped from the spot. However, police managed to nab him. Presently, the victim is availing treatment at MGM hospital in Warangal. Police said that her condition is critical, but she is able to speak. They also recorded a statement from her.

The accused who has been arrested, has been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 354 D (stalking) of IPC.

According to police, the accused has been harassing the victim for several months, asking her to marry him. Both of them were students of Vagdevi College located in Kishanpura.

This is the second incident in the state this month as it comes just weeks after a 17-year-old girl was brutally attacked and stabbed by her alleged stalker near her home in Hyderabad. The girl had been walking to college when 19-year-old Bharat stabbed her multiple times with a large knife and dragged her into a small lane, where he continued to assault her. Police said that the he had been stalking her for months.