Father duped over admission of kids threatens to set himself on fire, dies accidentally

Photo: Facebook/Parul Mahensaria

 BENGALURU: Ritesh Kumar wanted the best education for his children. But the wish of this 35-year-old father in Bengaluru led to his death. 

He had approached an agent Aditya Bajaj who promised a seat for his kids in a top private school. Aditya had assured that he would get his 7-year-old and 3-year old kids admitted to a prestigious school. He asked for Rs 6 lakh in total and Ritesh paid Rs 2.5 lakh in advance.

However, the admission was not done. Feeling cheated, he sought the money back from the agent. 

Aditya gave Rs 1.25 lakh back with a promise that his child will get a seat in the school in the next academic year. He also sought 10 more days to give back the remaining amount.

However, Ritesh had no trust left in him and hence wanted the entire amount back. He reached Aditya's office in JP Nagar Phase 2 with a bottle of petrol. 

He poured petrol on himself threatening Aditya that he should either return the money or he will set himself on fire. He lit the matches just as a way to threaten him but ended up getting caught in the flames. He was admitted to Victorial Hospital but succumbed to his burns the next day.

Police said that Aditya tried to stop Ritesh and ended up getting severely injured too.

He has been booked under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Ritesh's wife Parul Mahensaria said that Aditya had told her husband that he won't return the money even if he died in front of him. She said that Aditya had been continuously changing his position since the last few days and was refusing to return the money. 

Aditya's tuition centre has been shut and the police are probing whether he was involved in duping other parents too.