In a shoxking incident reported from Cuddalore's Vadalur, a 26-year-old woman was set ablaze by a private bus conductor after she allegedly stopped talking to him.

The victim, identified as J. Saloni, reportedly lives in Neyveli with her two children while her husband has been in the Army for over 10 years. She used to travel in a private bus to her workplace and got acquainted with the bus conductor, identified as Sundaramurthy. They eventually became good friends. While Saloni considered Sundaramurthy as merely a friend, the latter allegedly assumed that Saloni was interested in getting into a romantic relationship with him. When Saloni realized his intentions, she stopped talking to him. Despite several attempts by the man, she refused to budge.

Sundaramurthy visited her work place a few days later and demanded an explanation from her. When she did not respond, he threw petrol over her and set her on fire, in a fit of rage. The victim has suffered 20 percent burns and is currently receiving treatment at the Cuddalore Government Hospital. The accused has been arrested and booked under Sections 307, 354, 294 (b) of the IPC and the SC/ST Act.