A 35-year-old autorickshaw driver was allegedly burned alive by his former live-in partner, her newly married husband, and their accomplices after he refused to delete old photos and videos of their relationship from his phone.

A 35-year-old autorickshaw driver was allegedly burned alive by his former live-in partner, her newly married husband, and their accomplices after he refused to delete old photos and videos of their relationship from his phone in Uttar Pradesh'sAgra. According to police, the victim, Chand alias Saddam, was returning home after dropping passengers on February 27. As he passed through the Dauretha area, the accused allegedly intercepted his autorickshaw.

Add Asianet Newsable as a Preferred SourcegooglePreferred

The group forcibly dragged Chand out of his vehicle near Bilasganj and took him to a secluded location. There, they allegedly poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

Chand’s screams alerted nearby residents, who rushed to the spot and attempted to save him. He was immediately taken to SN Medical College and later shifted to a private hospital for treatment. He succumbed to his severe burn injuries on Wednesday night.

Family members revealed that the woman, Shabnam, had been living with Chand for nearly two years after the death of her previous husband. However, she recently married her brother-in-law, 33-year-old Allee Ahmed. The family alleged that after her marriage, she repeatedly pressured Chand to delete the photos and videos from their time together.

Tensions escalated after Chand reportedly refused to delete the memories stored on his phone.

Meanwhile, Chand’s relatives staged a protest on Thursday, placing his body on the road near Prithvinath Phatak and blocking traffic for nearly an hour. The demonstration ended only after police assured them that strict action would be taken against those responsible.

Police confirmed that a case has been registered against Shabnam and her husband under Section 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid or other dangerous means. Officials said additional charges will be added once the postmortem report is received.

ACP (Lohamandi) Gaurav Singh stated that investigators are examining evidence, including CCTV footage, and further legal action will be taken based on the findings as efforts continue to track down the accused.